One Piece Monster Pirates: Second Shichibukai
by 4fireking
Summary: Sequel to One Monster Pirates, Razi and the crew leave Loguetown with a new crewmate. On their way they encounter a man named Alfred. At first he appeared to be a helpless old man. After hearing about Razor of the Shichibukai being close he jumped into the water and chased towards the island. Meanwhile, Vivi is alive and her city is at war.
1. Chapter 1

Twenty years had passed since the Straw Hat pirates disbanded. In the desert plains of Alabasta, a land full of exotic desert creatures and nefarious grave robbers. In this desert land there lived a queen. Queen Vivi, thirty-eight years old. Once she was known as Princess Vivi until the passing of her father, yet his good honored name was remembered in the Halls of Alabasta: Cobra Nefertari.

Since the years that passed her kingdom was on the brink of war. War. Clans, armies, and cults have been battling her for sorority. The rattling could still be heard outside. Her foot soldiers forbid Queen Vivi from leaving the outside, despite her objections. Vivi was going to fight for her people. Despite being a princess, Vivi never demanded any special need. One way or another she was going to get out there and fight with her people with her scepter. She wouldn't stay ideally by while her people were on the brink of war.

" Your majesty! Your majesty!"

Queen Vivi's royal subject appeared before her. He was grazed. A small bullet hole was on his right arm which he applied pressure too. Seeing that hole reminded Vivi of her old childhood friend, Kohza. He was Vivi's loyal friend for eleven years. He's short tempered and doesn't hesitate to break the rules. But he's also very caring. When Vivi left to become Mrs. Wednesday for the Baroque Works as a double-agent they grew distant from each other, until she returned. They were friends the entire twenty years. He became an Environmental Minister after being a Rebel Leader. Two months ago while protecting the city he was shot. The bullet grabbed the right side of his head. Now he's in a hospital. Surgeons say it will take somewhere between six months to a year for him to fully recover.

" The enemy armies have breached our stronghold! Their heading up our kingdom right now!"

Queen Vivi was terrified. At a time like this she wish she had her Peacock Slashers. But those were taken from her. It wasn't very ladylike of her to have them. Queen Vivi got off her shone throne, quickly walked down the carpet, and journeyed towards the outside.

Vivi smelled gun-smoke. On the doorsteps were puddles of blood. Vivi coughed, covered her mouth and stared at the horror of the blood. That blood came from her soldiers. Her innocent citizens. Vivi blamed herself for their deaths. All this needless death because she refused to surrender. A beacon of hope was burrowing in the sand and going deeper down; there was little chance Vivi could make it out alive.

Vivi loomed from her palace entrance to the balcony. Underneath, a soldier weaved his scimtar at the enemy warriors katana. Sparks skidded out of their weapons. Vivi's soldier cleaved through the air, cutting the hand off the enemy warrior. The soldier kicked the enemy soldier to the ground.

A bullet was fired from somewhere far away. The bullet went straight through the head of Vivi's soldier. The death was instantaneous. The soldier fell to his knees then went splat against the marble stairs –rolling down the stairs toward the army.

Soldiers below were barricading themselves behind rocks, raising their revolvers in the air and firing at the enemies. Most bullets ricocheted off the rocks. However, some bullets went through the peak of the rock and went straight through the other soldiers skulls. The moment their guns powder were out they leaped off the rocks and dashed towards them with their swords raised. One of the enemy soldiers jabbed through a soldiers stomach. The other soldiers swished their swords together and enemy soldier grabbed Vivi's soldier and bashed his head against the rock.

Cannons were rolled on wooden carts by the enemy soldiers. They pulled on the chains of their cannons firing cannons into a herd of warriors. On impact the cannons exploded through the soldiers torsos - their arms, legs, and torsos splattering against the desert sun.

The soldiers were strong, cunning, and ruthless. But they were nothing to the captains' second highest soldier. The thing was not human. It wasn't even living forborn it had no soul. With the powers to manipulate shadows and grow shadow figurines, he charged through Vivi's arm, keeping a safe distance from the battle. He was a coward. He was callous, and he was belligerent, truculent, and merciless.

A child of Gekko Moriah. A bastard child who was born from the clutches of hell. To him humans were selfish, ignorant, and greedy. He kept his father's looks minus the hair and the size. Through his turmoil all he wished was to be loved. That's when he met HIM! He was a Shichbukai. Just like Gekko's son, he enjoyed revenge on the lesser mortals.

One brave soldier snuck past the rest of the enemy soldiers and charged at Gekko's son. Gekko's arm reached into the shadows - a Duat where he stored his most sacred items - the son pulled up a giant pair of scissors. The son thrust the scissors toward the soldier, decapitating him with one loud SNIP!

The death toll was now 2000. 1245 were from Vivi's side. 765 were on the enemies side. " Hubra!" Vivi yelled for her commander to show. " Hubra, we must retreat! Get everyone back into the castle now -"

A long javelin impaled Vivi's stomach. Vivi was grazed. She reached her hand down and wiped the blood trickle off her wound. Everything was dizzy. Her eyesight was fading. The last thing she saw were a pair of yellow serpentine eyes staring deep into her brown eyes, caressing her hourglass figure, and stroking her blue hair -six hands at once touching her.

" Am I a disease? Why do people think I'm a monster? It's because of politics like you. You discriminated me. Well, let's see how you like being discriminated in the bars of your own jail, Queen Vivi."

X_X_X_X_X

It was a boring day for the crew without a name. New crewmate Eiza used her ice morphing powers to create a small cage above the ship's Crow's Nest. In that cage Razi and Daniel were fighting. Razi wanted to learn swordsmanship like Daniel, but he was no good at it. He even tried using five swords in each hand to hit him, but was smacked by the blunt side before he could even move. Jane was stirring the helm. Momo was sewing a quilt to keep them warm at night. And Jen was sitting by a table, sipping a cup of coffee, and writing on a piece of log pose. So far he could only draw a map to Loguetown.

" We're facing massive headwind right now," Jen thought. " We should be at the Grand Line in another day."

" Sew, sew, sew," Momo sang sticking his needle through the quilt. " I like to sew. Sew it slow, slow it far, that's what makes me glad and everyone too."

" If he keeps singing that the entire trip I am going to kill him," Jane said stirring the helm.

" I think Momo has a fine voice," Eiza said, smiling at Momo as he smiled back at her.

" Razi, have you ever held swords before?" Daniel asked.

" No! I never held swords before!" Razi exclaimed. " But it's never too late to try!"

Razi dashed at Daniel swinging both swords in his hands. However, Daniel just swung his sword down and smashed it against Razi's skull. The wolf captain lost conscious instantly.

" Hasn't he ever heard of dodging?"

X_X_X_X

It was lunch time on the Golden Hope. And when you're a complete glut like Razi lunch time was the greatest time of day. Unfortunately the only thing Jane, their chef, could make was instant ramen soup. Daniel still had those cold eyes fixed on Eiza.

" Mmmm," Razi said, rubbing his stomach and licking his lips. " Now then..."

Like a weed growing out of the grass Razi ran to the edge of the ship. Razi grabbed his rod and reel and started fishing. Razi was sure to finish his meal. He didn't even eat the crust of his sandwich Jane left out for him. Someone had to eat that, Momo. Razi kept pulling his reel out of the ocean and swished it back into the ocean.

" Stop that, Razi!" Daniel shouted, aggravated. " You're going to pull someone's eyes out!"

" What the…?" Eiza's eyes saw a brown blur in the ocean. Eiza didn't know what it was at first. The blur became clear, Eiza saw hair. " A man! There's a man in the water!"

Everyone in the crew ran to the railings. Razi was the first to spot the man. He was brown haired, old a lot like Jane, wearing a white shirt, and brown trousers.

" Man overboard!" Jane shouted, she hurried to Razi's raft. Razi had that raft since he recruit Daniel and he refused to get rid of it. Razi's pet, Kaya, was using that raft for his own little bed. Jane pulled Kaya off the raft, sleeping so soundly it didn't feel anything, Jane raised the raft over her head and ran towards the railing, but Razi was already on his way down.

" I'll save you!"

Razi jumped into the water. Jane looked at this incredulously. " Doesn't he know he's even a Devil Fruit?"

" I'll save you, Razi!"

Now Jen jumped into the water. He fell, going to swim after Razi, but Razi was hanging upside down on the railing with his wolf tail sticking out.

" Hi Jen," Razi smiled.

Jen made a splash in the water, at least his host body did. The real Jen turned into an orange soul that flew towards the ship. On his way back, Kaya jumped up and swallowed the soul.

" Ah!" Razi screamed at the sight of his friend Jen being eaten. Inside the boa Kaya he could see Jen's soul pushing against the enclosed walls. " Stop! Regurgitate that soul!"

Kaya did exactly what Razi told him. He spat the soul out of its body. The soul circled around Kaya angrily.

Momo jumped in the ocean. Momo dived underwater and resurfaced with Jen on his shoulder. He then swam towards the shipwreck looking survivor, threw him over his shoulder, and swam back to Golden Hope.

Jen woke up. He saw Jane standing over him. Jen chuckled a smile. " You gained weight, Jane."

Jane leered at Jen. She was obviously embarrassed by what Jen said; her cheeks turned red. " It's called body strength. Get a girlfriend."

" I'm working on it."

Momo watched over the unconscious man. He was a tall man with a brown pompadour hairstyle, which went to a point at the back of his head, and a black goatee around his chin. He also had a stitched scar running down his face, around his left eye. He was dressed in a posh uniform, with calf-long pants and a black belt around his waist, and brown shoes.

" We need to find a doctor on our crew, soon."

Momo felt something tapping on his right shoulder. Momo turned around. Eiza moved Momo away from the unconscious man. She placed on hand on his forehead and using two fingers, lift his chin.

" Eiza? What are you doing?"

Eiza positioned her cheeks close to his mouth. She looked, listen and feel for no more than ten seconds. She look to see if his chest was rising and falling, listened to his breathing, and felt the breath against her cheek.

" I'm saving this man's life."

Eiza turned the man on his side. He lift his chin forward in open airway position and adjust her hand under his cheek. She placed the base of her thumb in the center of his chest, placed her other hand on top and interlock fingers, keeping her arms straight and her fingers off the chest, press down by five to six centimeters and release the pressure, keeping her hands in place.

She opened the man's mouth and pressed her lips sideways. Momo at first thought she was kissing the unconscious man, but then she breathed in his mouth. Eiza breathed in him thirty more times before he spat water out of his mouth.

" Where did you learn to do that?" Momo asked.

" French class," Eiza said, wiping her lips to get rid of the terrible taste of the unconscious man's mouth.

" So you're a doctor, Eiza?"Daniel said making his way up to Momo and Eiza.

" No. I just practiced medicine in the Marine's. I can cure any of your sickness, as long as none of it is being love sick."

The man opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a beautiful blue haired woman. The man smiled. Then he saw the face of a green scaled fish monster talking to the beautiful girl. The man reached into his pockets and pulled a small switchblade out.

The man was thinking about attacking that evil fishman and saving the beautiful woman—a boy with dog ears and bushy tail walked up to them. The boy got into a conversation, he didn't hear what, but they looked happy. A black haired boy and a white haired woman joined in on their conversation.

" Well, now that we've saved this poor man what are we going to do with him?" The black haired boy asked.

" Let's search his pockets," the gray haired girl said. " Let's see if he has any cash on him."

" He's breathing perfectly," the blue haired *beauty* said. " He'll be up at any moment."

" Let's use him for fish bait," the dog-eared boy said.

" At least let's ask him what his name is," the fishman said. The fishman brushed the four aside as he kneeled down to the man. He played possum pretending to be dead, but the fishman shook him until he woke up. " Welcome aboard our nameless pirate crew. My name's Momo. The grumpy girl is Jane and the sweet girl is Eiza."

" Did he just call me grumpy?" Jane said.

" I think he doesn't see your sweet side," Eiza said.

" I think he's an idiot."

" That's Jen and that's Razi. What's your name?"

" My name is Alfred…I was sailing with my friends when a storm came in *cough*, I can't thank you enough for saving me."

" Your name is Alfred?" Razi questioned.

" Yes. Alfred Sully."

" Are you married?" Momo questioned.

" Yes. To my work. I write developed newspapers for kids and adults to read."

" No kid reads the paper," Daniel murmured.

" Do you like poetry?" Jen questioned.

" Why yes. I do enjoy a good piece of literature. I like to imagine what goes on through the poet's brains when they write their piece—oh I do like to study someone's work."

" Soups on."

Jane placed a hot bowl of soup in front of Alfred with a small spoon in the soup. Alfred scooped a small teaspoon of the soup out and swallowed. He then picked another teaspoon of the soup out and put it in his mouth.

" This is the best soup I've ever tasted."

" You have money to pay for that, right?"

" Yes…My name is Alfred Sully."

" You already said that," Daniel murmured.

" Is there anything else you can tell us?" Eiza asked. " Maybe something about where you live?"

" I can and I shall. I am a gentleman. And I shall give to you, my beautiful blue flower, a gift."

Alfred gave Eiza a small flower. Eiza waited until Alfred wasn't looking, then she threw the flower over her shoulder.

" I live in Warship Island. My island is in the shape of a battleship and it's where the Sennenryu come to die and reborn."

" What's a Sennenryu?" Jen asked.

" They're dragons who live for a thousand years. Every 1000 years they return to their nest to give birth and die. Their bones, when extracted to create an elixir, can grant eternal youth."

" Are you saying anyone who can drink this elixir can live forever?" Razi asked. " That's awesome!"

" It is. But Sennenryu are on the verge of extinction. People like pirates, bandits, and even corrupt Marines are after this elixir. They will kill dragons for it."

" If people are going to kill rare animals for this elixir then I don't want it." Jen said. "Sure, not having to be afraid of death is cool and all, but being immortal is a curse if you have to stay back and watch all your friends grow old while you're still treated like a kid. And if you can't die it doesn't mean they won't die, too. The key to long living life is to live a happy and fulfilling life is to live every day like it's your last, enjoy every meal like it's your last, and accept that death is a natural occurrence."

" I believe Alfred has more to tell us, Jen," Momo said.

" He's right. We were living peacefully until yesterday. I was working in the office when he came."

" What's his name?" Eiza asked.

" I do not know. He kills without hesitation anyone who goes near him. He's an evil being. He had razors coming out of his body, taller than any of you, he had soulless eyes, and he had a tail. He said he was a Shichibukai."

" A Shicibukai?" Everyone in the group besides Razi, Daniel, and Momo shouted.

" Oh no!" Jen shouted. " Not a Shichibukai!"

" What's a Sickibukai?" Razi asked.

" It's Shichibukai, idiot," Jane retorted. " Shichibukai is an organization of seven pirates that turned into privateers in the service of the World Government. The old Shichibukai were decent pirates who helped the Marine's, but these new seven Shichibukai are corrupt. They believe they're above the World Government and want to control everything."

" Are you sure one of them took over your island?" Eiza asked.

" Yes. He said his name was Razor."

" Razor…Razor…RAZOR!"

The crew turned to Momo. His pupils were flaring angrily. He clenched his hands. His eyes turned cold. He was berserk. When he acted when he was angry—and he'll have made the biggest action he'll ever regret. Holding his anger was like grasping hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else. Momo jumped into the sea and swam away from the Golden Hope, moving so fast none of the crew could catch up to him.

" What's wrong with Momo?" Jen asked watching his fellow crewmate moving away from him.

" I-I don't know…" Daniel said. " I've only seen him like this when he's mad. But why was he so angry about one Shichibukai? Does he know him?"

" Let's sail after him!" Razi commanded. " Daniel to the Rigging! Use your Sextant Jen! Jane, take the helm! Eiza, take to the trysail."

Everyone did what Razi said. Then Razi ran up to the figurehead. The sails opened in the ship. The crew were on their way after Momo. At least they would have, but they didn't expect a traitor on their crew. Alfred ate metal, then fires the metal in a form of barbed wire net. He entrapped everyone in the crew—he missed Razi.

" Razi, help us!"

Razi turned around. His entire crew was trapped inside barbed nets. He also dropped pieces of soap over the barbed wires. Jen and Eiza were unconscious. They were losing their strength. Razi felt fear—sudden fear—his life was in danger. Alfred stood over them with a wide smile on his face.

" Alfred…why are you doing this?"

" I lied. My name isn't really Alfred. It's Ami. Ami of the Sticky Net. I am an assassin that was hired to kill you. I never asked why he wanted one newbie pirate crew gone, but I didn't ask. I only do this for the money. Money is the best; you can trust it more than anything."

Razi transformed into his wolf hybrid form. He lunged towards Alfred, really Ami, and cleaved his claws at Ami. But Ami produced some sticky web-like substance from his hands. Ami threw his net at Razi. If Razi was tangled in the nets there would be no one to protect the crew.


	2. Chapter 2

Momo felt the water in his lungs. The water chilled his eyes. His newfound determination etched into his head. Momo wanted his revenge. He wanted it fast, he wanted it now, and he wanted to savor it when Momo devoured Razor with his sharp teeth.

Momo knew the seas almost as well as Jen. He didn't know how to read maps nor could he lead people through a storm. Momo could drink so much water he suck a river dry. He could stump so hard the Earth would shake. He found Warship Island within the hour.

" Razor…Razor…"

Momo let nothing get in his way of putting his new strength to the test against Razor. Trees—he pulled them from their roots and devoured them in his mouth, but spat the wood out. Rocks—he cracked them with his bare knuckles. Momo fought the fiercest beasts who challenged him.

The black furred wolf—not a friendly wolf like Razi. It's claws of black steel. It's fur silver as moon…eyes glowing silver…the wolf sniffing Momo. Momo had an unearthly smell to him. His flesh was not fresh. Momo showed it no reason, no hesitation, and no last requests. Momo used the powers of hand balled up into fist and attacks. His fist submerges from the wolfs neck and Momo throws its bleeding corpse to the ground.

Momo faced many prodigious beasts in Warship Island. First was the wolf whose claws reaped the souls of whomever it touched. Then came the bear with fur as dark night. The hawk extended bigger than the wolf and the bear. The first a slow beast. The second a clumsy beast. And the third, a predator to all fish alike, died at the hands of Momo's one-hit-kill-punch.

Momo had a thirst for blood. To the deepest roots of his conscience, to the abyss of his black heart, Momo never stopped killing. His memories diffused. Momo was slowly forgetting everything. The love he was nurtured as a child. The love he earned on the land of gill less folks. Even the friendship he profound after years of being a petty thief. All Momo could think about, in every tarsal of his fish man body, was his revenge.

Momo scoured through the entire island. He saw a village when he first swam to the island and was heading there. Momo reached the village. He saw blasphemy. Houses were burned down, arrows were stagnant on the ground, and sheep were tied to the ground. The sheep looked voracious from the anarchy beholding them. There were no scraps of food Momo could give them. He could let them die by nature's hands, allow his ravenous to consume them, or he could let them go free. None of them were the right choice. These sheep needed someone to foster them.

Momo avoided looking through the village for any survivors. While in berserk mode he cared little about anyone. Momo would have left the village and searched the woods for Razor if a figure hadn't approached him. A man dressed in a fur cape and green attire, Momo stared at in shock and horror at what transpired through him. Momo could not see his face, it was blocked by a fox mask, but Momo saw him before. It was once upon a dream.

" Glad you found my invitation, Momo."

" Who are you?" Momo said in a voice almost as demonic as Doctor's in cold fight they had.

The man goaded Momo into drawing his staff. " That staff I've given you will be my last will and testament…Now go, and never forget the true purpose of Marital Arts. Those were the words your late master Leopol told you. He sacrificed his life to save you…what for? So you could go gallivanting off with pirates? So you could sew the rest of your days like a crippled man? You were not his real student. You are not human and you'll never be human. You can't feel the same way humans do. You don't even care the man who cared for you, trained you, and sacrificed himself for you is in the ground nothing more than little pieces of bone…"

"Enough!"

Momo slammed his metal staff in the ground. He sent forth an earthquake from the staff towards his enemy. The man's fingernails grew like Razi's in his wolf form, his two inch's. He sliced through the air creating razor-sharp vacuum blades that sliced into the ground. The two attacks collided. Momo, the stranger, their attacks exploded firing dirt in both their directions! Momo launched out of the dirt. The stranger jumped out of the dirt after Momo. They were both grounded. Momo lunged forward first throwing a fist at the stranger's face.

The stranger quickly back flipped out of the way and came up with a kick aimed at the stranger's face. Momo knew he didn't have a chance of dodging the kick at the speed the stranger had moved so he crossed his arms in front of his chest absorbing the blow in his arms and then sweeping his leg out to try and take out the foot that the stranger had planted on the ground.

The stranger leap above the kick and sent a fist flying at the fish man's head. Momo deftly redirected the attack with a hand using minimal effort. " Very good," the stranger said. " You learned well."

The stranger was interrupted by a fist heading toward his face as the fishman counter-attacked. Momo was good that much was true. The stranger was amazed how quickly he had improved over the last few years.

" I'll smash you!" Momo boated.

" Not likely," the stranger said as he jumped over Momo's fist and sent a round house kick to the giant's face. Momo flew towards the wall. Momo bounced off the wall.

Momo charged at the stranger and set a punch at his face. The stranger leaned his head to the side and watched as the punch missed by bare inches. Momo came up with a kick to the side but the stranger raised an arm quickly blocking the move.

Momo flipped back to the side. " Man this guy's tough," he thought. " Everything I've thrown at him he's dodged as if it were a joke. It's like he's not even trying."

" Are you just going to stand there or are you going to fight?" The stranger said taking his own stance.

" I'm going to fight," Momo said as he charged the stranger again. This time he feinted a punch at the stranger's head and came around with the other leg delivering a sweeping kick at the stranger's legs. But, the stranger was not fooled. He jumped over the kick before driving a punch into Momo's gut sending the fighter sprawling back a few steps.

" Man that hurt," Momo thought as he regained his composure. " This guy's tough. I'll have to pull all my punches if I want to beat him." Momo charged at the stranger throwing punches and kicks at a rapid pace.

The stranger moved like lightning as he blocked most of Momo's attacks. A few punches got through but not enough to do much damage. " Not bad," the stranger had finished the attack. " Now it's my turn." The stranger created a single, small air blade powerful enough to slice through rocks. The attack collided into Momo and pushed him back.

" You may be strong in power, but you are slow in speed," the stranger taunted. " The moment you get close enough to me I'll break every bone in your body."

Momo charged at the stranger throwing a punch at his face but he raised a hand and blocked swinging a tail that grew out. His tail knocked the legs out from under him.

Momo stood his ground and grabbed the appendage swinging the beast around his tail. Momo let go of the stranger sending him flying into the distance. The stranger slashed the air many times with his claws, releasing multiple air blades before unleashing a powerful whirlwind of razor air that pushed him to the ground, and he landed on his feet.

" Be careful about being in your berserk mode, Momo," the stranger said. The tail that grew out of his body disappeared." If you stay in it too long, it will continue to consume you until all your morals are depleted."

The stranger shot at Momo at lightning speed. Momo managed to raise his arm to block but the blow still hit with earth shattering force.

Momo countered the punch with a kick at the strangers legs, but he jumped over the attack sending another blow at Momo. Within seconds the two were trading blows faster than most of Momo's opponents.

A few minutes later the two separated from each other, Momo panting and the stranger barely winded. " You've given me a good workout, Momo," the stranger said. " But now it's time to get serious."

" He was only warming up?" Momo thought as he charged at the stranger with a punch to the face. However, the punch passed through the stranger. He used some kind of afterimage technique. It faded. The stranger appeared behind the fishman and sent an elbow into his head knocking him out cold.

" Get up!" The stranger shouted kicking dirt at Momo. " Come on! I am not finished with you! Not by a long shot. You must pay for your betrayal."

Momo opened his eyes. They were red with yellow irises. His skin turned from green to dark blue. When he stood off the ground he dropped his metal pipe. It did nothing but slow him down, he thought. The stranger clenched his hands.

" What betrayal?!" The angry fishman shouted as he charged at the stranger throwing kicks and punches faster than a tornado thrashing against a house. The stranger didn't have time to dodge. This Momo was much stronger than the earlier Momo who he faced. He was fast, too.

Momo stuck his pipe into the ground, jumped on it, and shot forward driving his fist into the stranger's stomach doubling over the fighter. Not missing a step, the fishman sent an uppercut into the man's chin sending him flying into the air.

The stranger came down with a crash. Momo charged at the young stranger once more but his fist only passed through an after image. The next thing Momo knew the stranger's foot slammed into his face slamming him into the ground. But Momo quickly got up wiping blood from his mouth.

" How does it feel to bleed?" The stranger said as Momo wiped the trickle away. " That blood is nothing to the bloodshed I've given training my body day after day. After you let our master die I was all alone. I had no one to train me. I hate you, Momo. You are nothing but a backstabber."

" Giru…"

X_X_X_X

Razi was envious of Ami. Razi always wanted to eat a Devil Fruit where he could eat something and spit it at his opponent, but he ate a fruit that transformed him into a wolf instead. Razi had to fight Ami all by himself. Daniel and Jane were trying to cut out of a metal web with Daniel's swords and Jane's scythe, and for some reason Jen and Eiza were unconscious.

" So why do they call you Ami of the Sticky Net?" Razi asked.

" Because when I kill someone I always wrap them in sticky webs. I'm kinda like a spider who feeds on her victims when they're immobilized. I wanted to meet you on a boat I commandeered, but I got sidetracked thinking about how I was going to kill you and sailed into a reef."

" So you're an idiot?"

" Shaddup! I'm going to take this ship arbitrarily. I'll use it for my next mission."

" And sail into another reef?"

" Yes—no! Don't talk while someone else is talking! It's very rude!"

" But you didn't say anything."

" Long story short, I have the strongest Paramecia Devil Fruit. I can do anything with it. Watch."

Ami took out a small ivory vial tucked inside his shirt. It looked so small. It almost reminded Razi of the seeds Sukuza used. Razi heard a sloshing sound coming from inside that small vial. Was it water? Razi saw Ami chug a small amount of blackish liquids inside his mouth. Ami took one big breath and belched.

" Flashbang!"

Razi saw a small metallic object falling towards him. The object soon exploded and bright light blinded him. Razi quickly covered his eyes with both his hands. Even though Razi couldn't see anything, he transformed into his wolf hybrid form and heard the rumbling sound of footsteps throttling towards him.

" Ami, I'm going to get you—"

Razi was pushed by the body of a body-builder. Razi quickly got back on his feet and got into his fighting stance. Razi charged Ami and roundhouse kicked his left side. Ami easily jumped away from Razi. Razi got close to Ami and attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks most of which Ami dodged or blocked with his backhand or feet.

" Is this really what a captain with a Devil Fruit can do?" Ami said, blocked another one of Razi's punches.

Ami got so tired of blocking Razi and pushed him back. Before Razi could charge at Ami, he pulled out a small bag of cement.

" What's he thinking?" Daniel thought. " He's not really going to eat that is he?"

Ami ripped the package open and poured the cement into his mouth. The cement fused inside of him. Razi could hear a small grinding noise. Before Razi could figure out what was happening Ami opened his mouth and a small cannon came out, which fired a small cannonball out. Razi could only stare as the cannonball was fired from the cannon and hit Razi directly. Razi was pushed back and fell into the ground. Razi's body was burning red. His skin turned red and his eyes rolled behind his head. He looked like a hot tomato.

" He's finished," Ami smirked.

But Ami didn't know Razi. Razi raised his right hand and licked his skin. Razi had the strength to lick his entire right arm. Ami stared at him with an unwavering calm face.

" What the hell is he doing?" Jane thought watching Razi lick his right arm and then his left hand.

No one knew why Razi kept licking himself. It was the most bizarre thing they'd seen all day. Daniel then saw something extraordinary about Razi's saliva. When Razi licked his arms they healed like the tears of a phoenix. One minute of strange behavior Daniel never thought he see in Razi later, all the burns were gone and his eyes returned to their proper place.

" Rrrrrr…rrrrr….RAAAA!"

Razi launched up like a whiplash and thrust his hands in the air. Razi let out a loud, irritating roar like the sound of a giant ape. The sound of his roar was his battle cry.

" Ami-guy!" Razi shouted. " How can you do all those things?"

" Because I ate the Kyuuin Kyuuin Fruit ( Absorption Absorption Fruit). Whenever I eat something I can combine two materials together and materialize them into a new substance. Nifty, isn't it. I can even eat poison and not die."

" I wonder what he would spit out if he ate human meat?" Daniel said.

" Don't be silly, Daniel," Jane said. "Eating human meat would make him a cannibal."

" I can also change the things I eat into anything my mind wants them to be. Observe." Ami took out more packages of cement and stuffed the cement into his mouth. Razi heard Alfred slosh the cement around as his mouth grew bigger.

" Now you've got him, Razi!" Jane cheered. " Attack him while he's defenceless!"

" Razi would never do something like that," Daniel said. " He has too much honor as a fighter. That's only something a stinky bandit with bad breath would do."

" Who are you calling a bandit with bad breath?"

So Razi waited until Ami finished sloshing the cement in his mouth. Then he felt something like it was about to rain. But it wasn't going to rain with water. It would shower him with nails and sickles.

" Marble Fire!"

Razi witnessed hundreds of small cement balls being fired towards Razi. Razi transformed into his wolf form. On four legs he jumped to the left avoiding the cement balls hitting the ground instead of Razi. Rrazi dashed around Ami, the small balls missing him, and he jumped. Razi made it look so easy jumping so high…his dog jaws caught a piece of the sail hanging down. Razi clenched his teeth on the rope until he morphed into his wolf hybrid form and wrapped his tail around the rope. Ami had to deal with the irritating sound of Razi chuckling above.

" C'mon. Just because I'm a small target doesn't give you the excuse of having bad aim."

Ami pulled a bottle of water out of his pockets. He unscrewed the bottle and chugged the water into his mouth. Razi heard the sound of water sloshing inside Ami's mouth.

" This isn't really the time to have a water break," said Daniel.

But it wasn't just water Ami was absorbing. Ami drank every last drop of water in his plastic bottle and then he tossed it to the ground.

" So wasteful," said Janne.

A small headwind blew on the sails of Razi's ship the Golden Umi. Razi's ears folded down. When Razi's ears folded it could only mean something bad would happen—in the position he was in that could be anything. Then Ami's eyes flickered yellow as a beam of electricity fired from his head. Razi barely escaped jumping off the sails, extending his claws as he scratched them against the mast, and slid down the mast to the deck.

" How can you fire laser beams from your head, punk?" Daniel shouted.

" Don't you know anything about digestion? The food we eat doesn't just go to our digestive system. Our brain uses glucose out of our blood. Glucose is a form of sugar inside of plants from a phase called photosynthesis. The nutrition from the food is transmitted into our brains to give it the nutrition.

" Yeah, Daniel, it's common knowledge," Jane smirked.

" Like you knew that!"

Razi used his claws so much they were starting to look a little broken. The sharp parts of his talon were completely missing and it hurt when he breathed on them. All that changed when Razi replaced them growing a new set of talons in his hand.

" Could you please toss me the nails you're no longer using," Ami said.

" Why do you want my nails?" Razi asked.

" I-I never had nails before. I'm curious to see how they taste. Did you know that human nails are made of keratin? They have this addictive way of making you bite them off. Animal nails however have a different taste to them. Each one are sharper and different sizes. I want to know what a wolfs taste like."

" Okay. If you want my nails I'll give them to you."

" Don't give him your nails, you idiot!" Daniel shouted. " He's just going to make something scary out of it and try to kill you."

" Daniel, I gave him my word I was going to let him have my nails. If I don't then I'll be a dirty liar. And a pirate captain never lies."

" No. But a deadly assassin will do anything to get the job done. And that includes lying and deceiving."

Razi didn't listen to Daniel. He picked his nails off the ground and threw them to Ami. Ami caught the nails and put them in his mouth. Daniel and Jane stared at the grotesque scene of Ami trying to chew those nails as if they were vitamins. Soon Ami swallowed the nails. Time passed and nothing seemed to happen, other than Jane furiously trying to cut her way out with her scythe.

" Do you know what gives me demons in my closet?" Ami said as Razi clenched his fists. " It's that I can never express myself. I never had any love in my life so I decided to take hate and abuse as a way of showing affection. I can only speak clearly when I'm surrounded by blood. I think you and I are the same. You may make people think you're an idiot, but you are very smart. You just don't safe the right things and people don't know why. Was it because you stuttered? Were you not speaking as clearly as you hoped. Is life not some romance story where the man looks into the girls eyes and saws something that clutches her heart? I express myself from what I eat!"

Ami opened his mouth wide. Two long tentacles came out of his mouth and pushed them open wide. Ami's mouth had become a doorway to another dimension; it was allowing creatures to pass through—the first creature to pass through, a naked, rotting, mottled body with dark green flesh and bones poking through.

" Did that thing really come from Razi's nails?" Daniel said. " It couldn't be…"

The mottled creature roared. Its voice fowled with the wretched souls of a dozen tortured souls. Daniel tried to yell a command to Razi, but his voice was muffled by the howl of the creature. Razi was about to dash in and beat the bones out of the creature…a three-pointed trident jabbed through his left shoulder. The trident scratched away a thin line of Razi's cheeks. Razi trickled from the cut. Razi turned around. A boy with navy blue hair was behind him. The boys' eyes were maroon. He wore a white T-shirt, turquoise green shorts, and had an ivory harp behind his back. Razi noticed a purple tattoo that looked like a leviathan on the boys right arm.

" Who the hell is he?" Daniel said looking at the blue haired boy.

The boy didn't seem to like Razi. When Razi looked at him he gazed at Razi with much scorn. He looked weird. The boy was using some kind of power on Razi. One moment they were on Razi's ship, but the scene changed into the solar system.

" W-Who are you?" Razi asked.

The boy didn't give Razi an answer. The boy was in some kind of quiet place he didn't want Razi in. The boy raised his trident over his head. The trident had its own camouflage. It disappeared from the boys' hand. Razi was both scared and excited seeing this. The boy stood solemnly in place, his eyes gazing at Razi, he gritted his teeth when he said…

"Get out of my way."

The mottle bodied creature appeared. It gripped its hands on Razi's shoulder, bearing for a bite. The creatures teeth were inching closer to Razi's neck, he could almost feel the decomposition. Before the beast could tear away at Razi's neck a long tail came out of the boys back and stabbed into the mottled creatures' eye. The boy's tail contorted the inside of the eye, turning around and jabbing it inside the other eye. The boy raised the creature over his head and threw him into the ocean. Razi watched, half-shaken from the rotten breath and teeth-, the creature turned into Razi's fingernails midair before he fell into the ocean.

" Hahahaha!" Ami laughed. Razi turned around and saw him putting his hands on his chest and laughing. Razi didn't know how he could laugh when he was losing. " A new challenger. Perfect!"

Razi and his crew watched Ami pull out small blue sheets that were blueprints. Razi witnessed in horror as Ami rolled the sheets up and chugged them down his throat. It was disgusting to watch and it almost made Razi jump off his own ship to get away from it. Ami used his powers. He fired a small with the radiance of a lunar eclipse.

Random supplies fell down: wood, rocks, a boulder, nails, and rope. The inanimate objects animated themselves, joined together, an in one big flash they joined together to form a tower. A tower made out of wood, had a pointed out part with a long string of rope hanging down, and a boulder connected to it. The tower then spun around rotors in the wood spun the boulder around and whacked into the boy. Razi was afraid that the rock crushed the boy on contact, but the boys mouth grew to the size of a horse with hundreds of sharp teeth. The teeth clenched harder on the rock until it shattered.

" This guys obviously eaten some kind of Devil Fruit," Daniel thought, " the question is what kid of Devil Fruit has he eaten?"

" What are you going to do next, Peter Pan?" Jane thought.

Razi was sure after seeing how powerful the mysterious boy was Ami would turn around and run away. But Ami was even bolder than Razi.

" There's something you don't know about me," Ami said. " I am a pervert!"

" I kinda already knew that," Jane thought. " The way he was flirting with Eiza was lecherous."

" I hate to admit it, but for years I've been doing many vulgar that were inexplicable and irrational. Before I ate my Devil Fruit, I would fake drowning in a lake so a girl would jump in and swim to me and I would steal their bras. At night I'd sneak into women's houses and take their garments. Years and years I ran away from women. But in all those years of perverse acts I've gained what some call the Pervy Legs. I can move so fast some think I ate the Rumble Rumble Fruit."

Ami took out a pack of nails and chugged them into his mouth. Then he swallowed. After Ami was finished swallowing he opened his mouth, a loud regurgitating noise heard from within, and out came a large bludgeon with small spikes protruding from it. Ami hit the heel of his right shoe three times then dashed towards the boy with stupendous speed. He grasped both his hands on the handle of the bludgeon, jumped, and hit the boy with earth shattering force! But the boy wasn't in that spot. Ami saw him standing in the Crow's Nest.

" No...no one has ever dodged my attack. I am the fastest man whose never eaten a Devil Fruit. Ever girl just wants a man who's young and has a nice face. They look at me like a leper. All I ever wanted was love in my life. Love and the head of every boy who is prettier and nicer than me. Which is very well all of them."

Ami took another thing out of his jacket no one else was expecting: glue. Ami had glue with him— didn't have it for long since he raised the bottle over his head and poured it into his mouth. Ami converted the glue he swallowed into energy. His feet suddenly became sticky with white liquids. Ami jumped off the ground and landed into the mast. He clambered up the mast. He was running with his feet sticking to the mast. Ami soon reached the mast and swung his bludgeon downward. The boy disappeared from the mast and reappeared below deck.

" You can't see my attacks!" Ami exclaimed.

" Of course I could see your attacks," the boy said in a quiet voice that insulted Ami's eardrums. " Your eyes are telling me everything."

Ami had enough. Whoever this boy was he had to be put out of his misery. Ami jumped off the mast as he prepared for his final attack. He grasped the handle with both hands and slammed it with a shockwave powerful enough to push barrels off the ship. Ami's bludgeon made contact with the boy's fingers. His two fingers were clamped around them like scissors. With one mighty squeeze the bludgeon broke in half. Ami groveled to the boy.

" Please spare me!" Ami cried kneeling his head down to the boy. " I promise I'll leave and never come back. You're merciful to men who surrender, aren't you?"

" The crew you attacked are merciful. I'm not."

A long scaly tail grew from the boy's backside. It sway the moment before he struck. He didn't see the hand behind Ami's back or the water bottle he was holding. Ami raised the water bottle to his mouth and took a sip. Ami's brain glowed yellow as lightning struck out of Ami's head and hit the boy in his chest. The attack was ineffective, but it distracted the boy long enough for Ami to run to the side of the boat and jump off.

" Tata," the last words Ami said before he jumped off the ship.

" Idiot," Jane thought. " He's eaten a Devil Fruit. He can't swim."

The boy walked to the side of the boat. He expected Ami to drown and he wanted to see the small bubbles surface as he would hear Ami's voice calling for help. He found Ami to be standing on a rowboat.

" Shit," the boy thought as Ami gazed into his consciousness. " I should've killed him when I had the chance."

Ami was too late. He couldn't risk jumping into the boat because he's eaten a Devil Fruit and if he slipped off the boat he would drown. Ami couldn't swim, but he could cleanse himself by drinking water from his boat. He put his head in the water and sucked the water in his mouth. Water was a boring drink, tasteless to the human senses, but it was needed to keep the person alive. Ami swallowed a barrel worth of water and swallowed it.

" I am going to create a force stronger than Blackbeard's two Devil Fruits. Something that will make the world tremor from the contraction of my internal organs. Thunder Electrolytes!"

From the depths of Ami's heart he was about to use an attack with unmatched destructive capabilities. His control of this attack however was unrefined. Clouds materialized above his head in a swirl of lightning. It was prolong since he used an attack of this magnitude. In an explosion of destructive power a large beam of concentrated lighting burst forth.

Jane watched things unfold simultaneously. It was what happened when a powerful force meets a greater barrier. Right become the electricity exploded into the boy with devastating force, only to be ricocheted off the boy by a metal breast plate resembling the back of a crocodile. The beam deflected off the silver alloy and exploded into the rowboat. Jane didn't think anyone could survive that blast, but she saw Ami cling onto the boat. He struggled to clamber up the side of the sails, but he was sinking a lion trying to climb a mountain with only its claws.

" Help me!" Ami almost slipped into the water. He grasped the boat harder than before. When he looked up he saw that the boy with the blue hair was staring down at him. Was he going to help him? " Please...help me."

The boy didn't share Ami's modulating fear of paralysis. He was only interested in one thing Ami tried to hide from him. The boy reached his hands into Ami's pockets and pulled out the silver spoon covered in Jane's soup. " Wow...That's so shiny!"

The boy ignored Ami's desperate cries for help and walked away. The boy caressed the spoon like it was a lady's arm. He put two fingers on either side of the spoon and moved his fingers up and down. The once calm boys breathing was becoming more labored. He was enticed by the little spoon. Ami watched in minutely terror as his hands started to slip from the peeling wood of Golden Umi.

" Hold on!"

Just when Ami was about to fall into the sea Razi dashed to his side and grabbed his hand. It wasn't easy to hold somene as hard as him, but Razi's skin turned feverishly red trying to pull him onboard. Razi tried saving Ami, but Ami's hands slipped out of Razi's grasp and Razi was falling into the ocean with him. Razi didn't go splash. Before his body hit the ocean Kaya slithered to the side of the boat and coiled his long neck around Razi's wrist. Kaya had Razi's wrist while Ami was holding Razi's leg. The boy with the blue hair and the silver spoon grabbed Kaya's tail and pulled them both ashore.

Razi and Ami got on their feet. Ami jumped towards Razi and hugged him. " Thank you," Ami said hugging Razi's waist. " If it weren't you I would have—"

Razi slugged Ami in his face. Small drops of blood splattered over Razi's fist. His actions perplexed everyone, including his pet and his own crew. Razi was a hotheaded wolf hybrid with a massive temper. He grabbed Ami by his neck and pulled him to his face.

" Where is my nakama Momo! I want to know where they're keeping Momo!"

" You're suppose to ask that before knocking him out, idiot," Daniel thought.

" Wolf Fang Razi," Razi turned around and stared into the eyes of the boy with the blue hair. " I heard many tales about you. I heard you were a fierce pirate. One who prefers to keep his distance from others, but has a cynical and misanthropic—someone like me. But I heard incorrectly. You're nothing but a mangy dog and a fool."

" Don't call me a dog!"

Razi tried swiping his claws at the boy in his hybrid form. He scratched ten times, but each slash was easily avoided by the boy. " I wouldn't get too riled up if I were you. You might need all your strength to save your friend Momo."

" How do you knwo about Momo!" Daniel shouted.

" If we're going to talk, all your crewmates must hear this."

The boy strided up to the cage. He had ever reason to be proud of his strength. He grabbed the cage with one hand and with one squeeze he threw the cage out of the boat. Embedded in that cage were small pieces of sea stone. Only a touch of it put Jen and Eiza in paralysis. But when the cage was gone they started to wake up.

" What happened?" Jen said, and looked around the boat. " Why is Alfred sleeping? We should be finding Momo."

" Oh God no," Eiza said rubbing her head. " I didn't get drunk and have a hangover again? I hate when that happens."

" I'm glad everyone's awake," the blue-haired boy said. " Now you can all know a little something about me. I'm not tenacious when it comes to two things. Human lives and stories I write when the wind blows on my riggings and I let the helm stir itself as I sail into the abyss without any gleam of sunlight."

" Who are you?" Jane asked.

" Who am I? My name is Kricket. I'm a Shichibukai."

" You're a Shichibukai!" Everyone on boat except for Ami who was sleeping shouted.

" That's what I said. I didn't know everyone on this boat was deaf as well stupid. I'm not even the worse Shichibukai. This old acquaintance of mine, Razor, when he killed someone he would cut through your bowels first and then he'd strangle you with that nasty tail of his."

" What are you doing here?" Daniel snapped. " Lookin' for a fight."

" Please. You think too much of yourself only because you're young and reckless. Like I said, I'm not the worse Shichibukai. The strongest of the seven is with your friend. His name is Casterwill."


	3. Chapter 3

Momo woke up, startled by his glimpse of the past. Momo woke up in a dark, dirty dungeon cell. He heard the sound of rats under his bed. The first thing Momo noticed was his arms; they were covered in a silver cylindrical device. The last thing he saw was his feet, which hurt the most. Momo was now a cripple. He looked at his feet, even though it pained him to see himself like this, but his legs were broken. Giru didn't just break Momo's legs. He sawed them off. Momo was looking at his legs, and they were being devoured by the rats!

X_X_X_X_X

" What does this Casterwell bastard want with Momo?" Daniel shouted.

" The same thing every rich man wants with an exotic animal. He wants to keep your friend as his pet," Kricket said, " And what could be more exquisite than a pet that can walk and talk like a human?"

" Momo isn't anyone's fucking pet!" Daniel shouted. " Momo is kind, he likes to sing gay sing-along songs about sewing, and he has a great sense of humor. Oh my God he has a good sense of humor. He made me laugh and I don't laugh about anything."

" An animal that has a good sense of humor and sings. I wouldn't just sell something as exquisite as that. I would hear what a rich man would bid for one, and then I'd double the price."

" What does Casterwill plan on doing with our friend?" Jen asked.

" Don't worry about him being eaten. Casterwill is strictly vegan; he won't eat anything with a face. If they have flesh he can't eat it. If the animal can copulate he will let them watch mate in a pin. Casterwill only eats tofu and drinks only what's made from juice."

" That's not a very healthy diet," Jane said, being the only chef onboard she had knowledge of proper nutrition. " Without real food his body will shut down."

" Really?" Razi asked. " How does nutrition work?"

" Didn't you learn anything from battling Ami!" Jane shouted. " If you listened to what he said than you would know that you are what you eat. Food is not just energy to keep you through the day. If you want to be as strong as Hercules you'll eat a proper diet of proper food with lots of protein and other nutrients. If you want to be a slug that can't even get off the bench than eat whatever you want."

" He's a vegan. He can't eat anything with a face. But he wasn't always like that," Kricket said. " He used to be a very sociopathic hunter that would kill anything that got close to him. He'd challenge himself every day by killing a stronger animal everyday. But hunting got boring. He knew all about the animals he hunted. They were worth nothing to him as food. So he kept his vegen diet so he could be reminded how he was stronger than any creature he hunted. He lost so much weight he became anorexic. He was trifling his own existence. Until one day, when he was having dinner he finally found the perfect prey to hunt."

" Is he hunting fruit?" Daniel laughed. "What does Casterwill eat? does he eat human brains?"

" No. Eating a brain would kill the host. Try something less important."

" A kidney?"-Eiza

" No."

" Teeth?"-Jen

" No."

" Eyes?"-Jane

" No."

" Then what does he eat?" Daniel shouted.

" All this talking is tedious. It hurts my brain and dries my eyes. I'd much rather tell it to you in song."

Kricket raised both his hands up and waved them over his head. Suddenly water erupted from the ocean. A ivory harp came out of the water and was seized by Kricket. The harp was there conviently. Daniel didn't know if Kricket was some kind of fool, flamboyant like Jen, or whimsical like Razi, but he never considered someone who needed music to speak to be very sane. Kricket strummed the strings of his harp and sang:

Casterwill is Intelligent, Calculating, and Ruthless

He's a narcassist who's only concern is how he's fed

Like all us Shichibukai he is powerful

He's not as strong as some of the rest of us Shichibukai...

but he makes up for his indifference with strong pirates to follow him

The island of Casterwill is one of the constiuent regions of the Shichibukai

His father presided over a period of decline for his health

He frittered away much of their fortune on poor investments...

and allowed himself to be mocked.

His vassals rebelled against Gol D Rogers and they lost with broken arms and sunken ships

A priest could say that Casterwill is a man driven by envy and distrust

He besieged Drum Island and Alabasta with his friend and that friends disciple

Casterwill is incredulous that a Shichibukai could lose against a pirate who ate a Zoan Devil Fruit

But that pirate is belligerent and stronger than he looks

" That's me," Razi said in the middle of Kricket's chorus

Now he berates anyone weaker than him

Has his men systematically torture prisoners to death

With an appetite for something long and always black or brown, sometimes orange from a ginger man.

" You don't mean..." Daniel said, shuddering at how disgusting Casterwill's appetite was.

Kricket ended his song and sheathed his harp behind his back. " That's right. Casterwill only eats human hair."

" Ewwww," Jen spat in disgust " I would never eat human hair as long as I live. How can anyone eat hair?"

" A boy can never eat vegetables. Until a person becomes a man can he eats vegetables, and that's because he's a man. A man can like whatever food he likes, but likes to twiddle his food with whatever he wants. Just like your boy with the disheveled hair."

" I'm a girl!"

" Hair can be crunchy and it can be soft like spaghetti. I can't say I know what hair tastes like. Maybe you should ask Casterwill. But the only way you can ask him is to find him."

" How are we suppose to find him?" Eiza asked. " I don't remember Momo telling us where he was going."

" That's why I'm here. I will help you find him."

" Really?" Daniel said. " That's nice to know. Is your name also Alfred?"

" Yeah," Jane said. " We can't trust you on this crew. This could all be some setup to assassinate all of us in a strappado way."

" I have no remorse for your friend. I just want to see how much challenge your crew has. And I don't need your permission to move this boat where I want."

" What are you going to do?" Jen asked. " Commandeer our ship?"

" No. I'm just going to wait."

" Wait for what?" Eiza asked.

" That."

The nameless crew turned around. Behind them a giant silhouette of a ferocious animal charged towards them. It was a giant tsunami, but it looked like a giant crocodile. The crocodile smashed into the ship and pushed it.

X_X_X_X_X

A dark-skinned man was sitting on the island Momo swam too. The man had purple dreadlocks and tufts of hair coming out of the dreadlocks. He was a very tall and able-bodied man. He was almost as tall as Momo, and Momo was almost as tall as his father Arlong. The man wore a shirt with the picture of a tiger eating birds and pants made from the fur of zebra's. He was drinking what he thought to be his fifth bottle of sake when a ship and a giant wave appeared out of nowhere.

" Huh?" the man simply replied seeing the giant wave. " There's sand in my beer."

The boat moved towards the island. The boat only stopped when it hit the shore. Out of the boat the man saw a boy with a black bandana, a swordsman with white hair, a black-haired man with very pale skin and wearing a white shirt, a girl with disheveled hair, a blue haired girl and a blue haired boy wearing a gold trident around his neck.

" Visitors?" the man said with a lazy attitude. " I hate visitors."

Razi was off the boat, jumping into the sand. He was murderous to all pirates! Razi wanted to free Momo from his jail; they were not going to ostracize Momo from their crew. All his crew had optimism, marched off the boat. The first one to walk off was Daniel. Following him were Jen and Jane walking together, and Eiza who sighed.

" We're all going to die," she said.

The dark-skinned man wasn't concerned about this pirate crew. His leader told him everything about them, and they were all very weak. One of them was so weak he looked like a skeleton. The man wasn't going to let their visit destroy his beloved beer.

" Where's Momo!" Razi shouted.

" Who?" The dark-skinned man asked. He tipped over his bottle of sake. Nothing came out. The man smacked his hand on the bottom of the bottle, sand spurted out. " Aw."

" Momo!" Daniel shouted. " He's my bro! My best friend! He's the only reason I'm still on this dumb crew!"

" Sorry if all this is interfering with you and your love nest, fag," Jane laughed. " Why don't you, Razi, and Jen hold hands and have a three-way, you fruit cakes?"

" Why are you dressed like that?" The man asked. " You look like a bunch of poor sailors."

" Don't make fun of our clothes!" Jen shouted. " Are clothes are hip and cool."

" Hip and cool? Why is there so much sand in my alcohol?" The man tossed his bottle of alcohol ahem sand over his shoulder. " I hope you don't take this the wrong way but I'm going to fight you all now."

" Fight all of us?" Eiza asked. " Why? Can't we just be friends?"

" It doesn't work like that," the man said.

" It doesn't?" Eiza asked.

" No. You can't just ask someone to be your friend. You have to pay to be someone's friend. And I can be your friend for only four-hundred thousand beli's."

" FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND BELI'S!" Everyone shouted in unison.

" No one has that many beli!" Jane shouted.

" Casterwill has that many beli, beautiful lady. You're more virile than ordinary woman. I like that."

" He has good eyes to call me beautiful."

Razi took a step towards the dark-skinned man, before plants his hands on the ground. Large fingernails grew from the ground and almost impaled the dark-skinned man. The man kicked off the ground and jumped over the giant fingernails, before swinging around so he was behind Razi now. Razi tried raising his claws, but the man stuck a beer bottle into his mouth.

" I don't fight someone unless they're as drunk as I am. Good thing I had a second bottle, huh?" Razi swung his body around and spat out the liquids.

" That was so disgusting..." Razi threw up. He slumped on the ground and threw up. Daniel ran up to Razi, placing a hand on his shoulder.

" That's right, Razi. All you need is a little rest."

" Crap!" Jen thought. " He's fast. If he can do all that just to get Razi drunk who knows what else he's capable of. There's no other choice. I have to fight him."

Jen pulled both his revolvers out. He quickly brought both hands up when the man appeared behind him and poured alcohol down his throat. The alcohol dripped from his mouth as the man poured every single drop down his throat. The man pulled the bottle away from Jen after pouring almost all of it down his throat and took a sip.

" Better in than out, I always say." The man chugged all the rum down his throat, and before every last drop parched his throat he threw the nearly empty bottle at a tree. " I'm going to take you down in less than three punches."

From behind the man a piece of wood detached. He span around and threw the shield of wood at Jen. A barrage of bullets was shot, one burning through the wood and the other almost grazing the man. The man blocked the bullet with his left hand.

" One." The man sprinted forward, brought both hands up, fingers spread wide. Swinging his arms, he slammed them into Jen's ribs. Jen backed away with his chest hurting. The man slowed, but then he ran forward at greater speed. " Two." He jammed his knee upwards, catching Jen off guard. Jen stumbled backwards, catching the man charging towards him. " Three!" The man roared planting his closed knuckles into Jen's face. Jen rolled across the ground and slammed into a tree.

Eiza looked at the dark-skinned man incredulous. " How can someone who's drunk fight so well?"

Jen coughed climbing to his feet. If his body was nothing more than a reanimated corpse, his bones would most likely be broken. Jen swung a fist, the man ducked as he smashed his fist into Jen's face. Jen retaliated with a flurry of closed punches. The man stopped the punches with his palms. Near the Golden Hope, the crew stared in dismay. Jen was too weak for the man. Jen even collapsed in the middle of his fighting.

" Down already?" The man axel kicked Jen in his back. Not even a twitch from the crew's Navigator. " I guess you weren't completely weak. You managed to survive three of my punches, which is something no one's ever done—"

If the man wasn't so busy making fun of Jen he would of saw the floating bottle Jen controlled. It sweep through the air and crashed into the man's head. The next moment Jen, stiff but awake, kicked the man in his jaw upward. Blood spitted from his mouth as he was driven to one side! Jen pushed both his knuckles into the man's face. Everyone looked at Jen incredulous. If the man could walk again, his face would be fractured.

" Jen," Daniel said. " You won."

" Yeah," Jane said. " You actually won."

" Way to go, Jen," Eiza said sticking up her finger.

" Shucks," Jen got embarrassed really easily. He turned around, his cheeks rose red, and he laughed. " it wasn't much. I'm sure any of you could've done it."

" Awesome," Daniel said. " That's one less guard we have to worry about."

" Don't celebrate just yet." Every crew member shivered when they heard that voice. They looked down and saw the man with a bottle of sake in his hands. The man stood up, his face was indeed fractured. The left side of his face was cracked. Jen shivered as the cracks along his face returned to their normal state. " You think check tricks can beat me? This is a war we're fighting."

Jen raises his gun and fires his gun and fire. The black skin man kick the sand. A wave of sand collided into his bullet. The sand pushed the bullets away. Daniel, Jane, and Eiza were flummoxed by the man's robustness.

" This guy is really tough," Jane said.

" What gave that away?" Daniel said. " The fact that he's way bigger than Jen or that he he's way stronger than Jen?"

" But there's still a chance Jen can win," Eiza said.

" You seem to be the only one who is rooting for him," Jane said. " Do you like him or something?"

Eiza was embarrassed. Her cheeks turned rose red and she turned away. " Jen is a very nice person. That's all I can say."

Jen continued his rapid fire at the man. He was fast and strong. He took a good brisk walk to Jen. Jen couldn't handle this tandem. Jen lost track of the man. Jen turned around in circles looking for the insistent black man. He found him-and he found Jen. He grabbed Jen and grabbed his torso.

" I'm going to pretend you're on fire."

" Huh?"

The man grabbed Jen's feet. He raised Jen up, and like a doll he smacked him against the ground. Jen didn't feel any pain, but his organs felt flattened against the ground.

" Put the little boy out! Put the little boy out!"

The man span around and threw Jen to the ground. Eiza felt sorry for him. His body looked like a pretzel. His arms were in a bent and his legs slit through the knees.

" Poor Jen," Eiza said.

"' At least he still has his health," Jane said. Jen got out of his entanglement. But, his right arm fell off. Jen grabbed his arm and tried sticking it back together. " Whoops. I spoke too soon."

Jen twisted his arm back on. He raised his guns up. No matter how many times he used his guns they just seemed to backfire on him. Jen wasn't going to use his guns this time. He threw his guns on the ground. He squeezed his fists ready to fight.

" Are you going to fight back? Huh? Can't you fight back just a little? This is not much of a fight if all you do is run away."

The man bolt towards Jen. He punched Jen in his chest. He uppercut Jen in his chin. Jen didn't have the speed to block his attack. Eiza was so concerned about Jen she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. When the battle seemed hopeless Jen wrapped a cloth around the man's right arm.

" Did Jen just wrap a cloth around the enemy?" Daniel asked.

" I don't think this is time to give him an accessory," Jane said.

After wrapping the cloth Jen passed out. His spirit projected from his lifeless body and enter the cloth. Jen's soul had the cloth under his power. The man punch himself in the face. He had no control. He punched himself in the nose, stomach, and nose again. Some of the nose cartilage exploded over the floor.

" Why is he hitting himself?" Daniel asked. " Has he lost his mind?"

" Maybe he's been smelling too many psychoactive plants," Eiza said.

" Fools," Jane said. " It's obvious what's really going on. Jen is using his Devil Fruit to control his band aid."

" Oh, I get it," Eiza said. " What a smart boy."

The man grabbed his own legs and pulled himself to the ground. He punched himself in the face again. Jen sprung off the floor and hit the man where his nose cartilage was exposed. The man lost consciousness again.

" Did he win this time?" Daniel asked incredulously.

" I hope so," Jane said. " He called me cute, I don't want him to ruin his perfect face."

Jen looked at the man covered in blood. The man was still conscious. He wriggled to get back up and fight Jen. Then he just stopped moving entirely. Jen panicked. He sobbed over the dark-skinned man's chest.

" I'm sorry for killing you," Jen said. " I'll tell all your friends how brave you were..."

Jen was sucker punched to the face. It surprised Jane. She thought Jen was suppose to be the smartest member of the crew. She thought there wasn't anything that could surprise him. Eiza looked dubious, but she didn't say anything. The dark-skinned man towered over Jen; he was angrier than a tiger with his pupils flaring.

" You barren of fools. I thought you were stronger than this. This whole fight has been nothing but a joke. We could fight this fair and square, but you leave me no choice."

Jen rubbed the part of his cheek the tall man punched. Even with Jen's zero nerve endings that punch still hurt more than a hammer hitting a nail. The man had a trick up his sleeves, or his shirt. A white mask, red stripes, three small calf horns sticking from the front and both sides, and small circle holes.

" What is that?" Daniel asked.

" It's a mask, you numbskull," Jane said. " He's going to put on a costume. I'm so scared."

" That's not any mask!" Eiza shouted. " It's the Mask of Sin."

" Mask of Sin?" Daniel asked. " What kind of silly name is that? Mask of Sin? What does it even do?"

" I don't know. But I heard of it's legend. It was found in a village of carnage. A boy found it and put it on. He tried to protect the village but the mask consumed him. Until they saw the Mask of Sin Hell only looked symbolic."

" Do you think this guy is the same boy who was consumed by the mask?" Daniel asked.

" It's impossible. Once you put on the mask it will kill you when your rage dwindles."

No one was stupid or bold enough to put on the Mask of Sin. It was playing roulette with their life. The man took one last look at the world - the sky and the birds singing attune - he put the mask over his face. The white paper stretched over the mans' dreadlocks. Jen cried weakly because he was afraid of the voice he made. Jen could feel it in his vein, he saw the man's back turn into a boney cape, spike's protruded from his chin and back, and his brogue became malefic.

" I'm in control now."

The man had become more dangerous than anything the nameless crew ever encountered. If Daniel knew the man would become like this he would renegade to the other side. If Jane knew the cultivated member of the crew would be facing this monstrous thing, her scythe would rip through his neck. Eiza's unerring sense told her to run away; what it forgot was how there wasn't anywhere to run. Razi...was the only member of the crew who wasn't scared.

" Wow," Razi said. " That is the coolest thing ever. I want one."

" Are you even paying attention!? That thing was a human being—and now it's a monster! That thing is going to crush Jen! Aren't you worried?"

" Should I be concerned for Jen?"

Daniel follow Razi's absurdity falling comically on the ground. No word existed to tell how stupid Razi was. Daniel erupted getting up and yelling.

" You can't seriously be thinking Jen can fight that thing by himself, can you?" Razi would be his doom. His poor leadership and childlike demeanor were what scathed this crew's growth. Daniel almost ploughed Razi when he saw his cheerful smile.

" We won't know until we try," Razi knew how averse Daniel was about fellow nakama fighting alone. Razi settle his mood, looked back at the fight, cheering for Jen to win. Jen was fighting for the honor of their captive nakama Momo.

" In future reference, if it looks like I need help, you better get off your ass and help me. You will help me unless I ask you not to in which case you stay as far away from me as you should."

Reprieved, Jen twist his guns, raised them and fired at the man. His bullets did absolutely nothing against the tough exterior of the man. The man could barely contain his delight charging to Jen and smacking him into a tree. Jen was on the ground when he marched towards Jen.

" Flesh Shredder!"

The monstrous man jumped towards Jen and kick him in his stomach. Jen was propelled through the air by the stranger's fist. Jen choked, shuddered, and thrashed in pain from the creature's wrath, then Jen was grabbed by the creature and thrown into the tree, the creature pushing deeper through Jen's liver.

Daniel couldn't stand Jen being beaten by this insidious enemy any longer. He didn't care if he was unwelcome in the scuffle, he reached both hands on his hilt about to unbidden jump the creature, Jen's whole body glowered with a yellow essence

" What's happening to Jen?" Jane asked.

" He's going to try to take control of an inanimate object," Razi said

" But there's no inanimate object strong enough to take that thing," Daniel said.

" There is one thing Jen can control. That somber mask," Razi said.

" Don't do it, Jen!" Eiza shouted. " That mask is pure evil. If you take it off it will only move to the closest living him. You'll be it's next target. Just let us help you."

" No!" Jen shouted. " This is the only way I'm going to win; fighting by myself. This crew is of underdogs and pirates who look after themselves in hopes of fulfilling their own dreams. I want to be strong like my father and sister. Don't worry, he can't kill me...I'm already dead. Soul Taker!"

The crew watched Jen pushed his fingers in the monsters eyes. When his fingers touched the monsters eyes his soul transferred into the mask. The crew watched to their absolute horror Jen dying in that tree and his breath running thin. The monster acted wild grabbing his face and thrashing around. Jen entered the Mask of Sin successfully. All of the crew were worried, Razi was in his wolf hybrid form folding his ears, and Jane released her big and beautiful white wings.

" _Jen...you fool," _Eiza thought. A tiny trickle dripped from her face dripping over the ground. " _You damn fool." _


	4. Chapter 4

Jen crossed a rift between the real world into the body of the Mask of Sin. He had to leave his soul from the vessel to enter it. His body wasn't the same in the mask, just a glowing yellow recollection of what his body used to be. In the dark hazy mist Jen noticed the silhouette of something lurking behind that haze. In this body Jen didn't carry his guns. He never needed to carry one before because no one has ever been home before.

Jen only had one power inside this world. Energy projection. He could fire bolts of energy from his hands at will. It could only stun its enemies long enough for him to attack. Jen knew it wasn't enough. Even on the outside of the mask he felt something looking at him. Something very bad about it. Jen's thoughts were utilized when he saw the beast inside the Mask of Sin. Eight eyes—two eyes in the middle and three aligned on both the right and left—freaking Jen the hell out. Gray ridges surrounded the beasts outer bulb and gray skin mixed with tangled fur came crawling down a long rope made of web.

" For the love of Lucas, all my friends on Razi's crew, and all the people who've lost their life under this masks insidious power, give me the strange to win. Energy Bolt!"

Energy surged from Jen's body into two of his fingers. He picked two fingers closest together and charged them with an energy similar to Jane's electric powers, but made from a different energy. Jen's hand changed. All his fingers in his right hand went missing except those two fingers. Jen fired a beam of concentrated energy into the spider. The spider was hit and fell off its web. The spider stood back up to fight Jen, firing a web projection. The web tightened around Jen's arm but he had another attack coming for him.

" Energy Blade!"

Jen's arm sliced through the web and went right into the spider. Jen's attack didn't even hurt the spider. That spider was generating itself in a strange way. Its body multiplied from one copy into another part of himself. The spiders body multiplied into twelve different copies and continued to make copies. The copies were a much fainter color, purple mixed with the gray skin. The copies went chasing into Jen who stood there charging up more energy.

" Energy Blast Range!"

Jen unleashed an attack with a set range of seismic devastation. He fired the attack in overdrive, firing energy over the spiders clones. The clones were vaporized in Jen's energy. But when those clones were destroyed more came out of the smoke and jumped towards Jen. Jen charged more energy into his right arm.

" Energy Repel!"

Jen unleashed a seismic barrier pushing into the spiders. The spiders dispersed into small elements. His barrier lasted a minute before he needed more energy to produce his attack. Suddenly the spider jumped in and hit Jen across his throat. When Jen was hit a part of his energy zapped the spiders leg. Jen crashed. He rose quickly to his feet to fight back.

" Energy Hobnail!"

Jen fired a dozen energy nails. The spider formed a giant ball under his long legs. The spider leaped over his web ball to raise above Jen. Under the spiders' legs more web balls were being produced and floated like balloons. The spider moved through one web ball to the next evasively dodging the energy bolts Jen fired in guesstimate of where he was. The spider was too fast for Jen to hit. Jen's energy was strong but dangerous. Every time he missed he energy burst into a dangerous space.

X_X_X_X_X

Razi, Daniel, Jane, and Eiza watched the monstrous body hit the trees and roared angrily. He was losing control from the fight inside. No one knew who was winning the fight: Jen or the beast inside the mask. The beast jumped into the tree branch and bite the branch in half.

" This thing's picking Jen apart!" Daniel shouted.

" Jen can win," Razi said.

" He's dead!" Jane shouted. " Dead! Dead! Dead!"

" Shut up!" Eiza shouted at Jane. " Come on! We don't even know if his spirits still alive or not and you guys are acting like we already buried him!"

" If Jen is still alive in there, why is he not here?" Daniel asked.

" Look," Eiza said. " That thing is wincing in pain because it's still fighting. As long as it is still fighting it means the staggering spirit of Jen is still alive."

" I say we cut this monsters head off while he's still fighting Jen," Jane suggested, raising her scythe suggestively.

" We cannot do that," Razi said. " Jen's spirit is still locked inside that monster. Anything we do to hurt that monster could hurt Jen instead."

" Why? Why are you denying we help the only member of our crew who needs help the most?" Daniel yelled, rage in his head forming a very repulsively ugly vein. " Why do you insist we stand here like idiots while our weakest member is being killed off?"

X_X_X_X_X

" Arrraaaa! Arraaaa!"

Jen fired bolts into the web balls aiming for the spider. The spider was fast. Even the most skilled snipers couldn't hit it. Two spiders jumped off the web balls to grab Jen. Jen fired the energy bolts into the spiders, killing them. A third spider fell down and almost crushed Jen. Jen moved in a perpendicular jump landing on a web ball. The fake spider jumped out behind Jen. He jabbed it in the eyes with an energy bolt and destroyed it. The real spider fired web balls. Jen dodged the ambush jumping to a floating web ball beside him. The spider continued firing web balls and Jen continued to jump on other web balls to dodge. The web balls vanished and Jen slipped and crashed to the ground.

" Energy...I need more energy. Have to use all my energy to stop this bug."

The spider multiplied from one to twenty different spiders. It didn't stop there as every new spider he summoned towered on top of the original spider. It didn't stop until his tower combined with his original body. What was a spider became a cocoon of blue and red LED moving like two glow balls. The ground Jen touched turned to energy.

" Razi, you were a great captain. Daniel, you were an okay guy, but you were an even better swordsman. Momo, you had more heart than any creature I've ever met, and I'm sorry I was able to save you from yourself. Jane, you're callous and mean now but I hope one day you will devote yourself to Razi. Eiza, I'll miss you the most."

A giant claw ripped out of the cocoon's cover. Jen needed twenty percent more energy before he could fire his ultimate attack. Something moved its hideous face through the cocoon. The monsters face was way too ugly for even a spider, and it licked its slimy black tongue. Its emerald eyes shy away when Jen was near one hundred percent. Jen's body turned gold like his energy. It powered him up for one giant attack.

" Energy Big Bang!"

Jen unleashed an attack so powerful it could destroy the inner layer of the Mask of Sin. He fired a giant energy wave towards the scary being where his body was hidden inside an energy ball. Jen's body exploded and wiped out everything in his path. The monstrous spider was completely destroyed by Jen's attack. Every floating web ball was destroyed, the blast hit the ceiling, and when the blast filled the hazy mist of the Mask of Sin...everything was quiet.

X_X_X_X_X

Outside, the monsters eyes were fidgeting uncontrollably and so were his arms. The monsters mask was peeled of the creamy white and black covered the outside of the mask. The crew could hardly believe their eyes. The beasts chest showed its red heart through its bony chest beating with a knife-like appendage protruding out of it.

" Greed...Envy...Wrath...Death..."

The mask spoke three sins before the black person with dreadlocks was released. The rest of the monsters body burned away in a fiery stream of yellow lava. The body sank to the ground as its eyes burned from his eye socket's. The rest of him burned away except the mask. It looked just as scary from the first time they saw it.

" Where's Jen?" Eiza said with fear dripping from her cold face.

The crew had no answer for her. They didn't have too. Jen showed up behind a tree. He was wearing his modern clothes, which was a shock to see. How did he manage to change clothes so quickly. Was he even the real Jen? Jen grabbed the unconscious figures hand and dragged him towards the group.

" Wait!" Daniel shouted. Jen stopped walking. " Jen, what's your favorite food?"

" Favorite?"

" It's Jen."

" Jen!" Razi and Eiza shouted in happy unison.

Jen couldn't prepare himself for the victory hug of Razi and Eiza. Both of them ran up to Jen and tackled him. Jen was given a warm and excruciatingly painful hug from Razi and an icy cold kiss from Eiza. It would be a perfect victory if they weren't putting too much force in their actions.

" Good to see your back," Daniel replied.

" You better not do anything like that again!" Jane shouted. " Or I'll rip both your arms off and really kill you."

Jen was helped up by Razi and Eiza off the ground. Jane glanced coldly at Jen which he returned by smiling. Razi and Eiza also laughed. Kaya curled his bottom half and rattled his body laughing with them. Even Daniel, the bastard son of Smoker, laughed as well. Most of the crew was laughing...five swords went through Jen's back. Razi and Eiza shuddered. Daniel stood in anger at the three people responsible. Three people stood in a line; one girl and two boys. A man with two large machete's and a rosary, a boy with pink hair, and a girl with a beret and belly-baring T-shirt.

" Casterwill has a whole legion of followers looking after him. When your friend said that five pirates were coming here, he arranged we fight fair and make a battle arrangement—four of us will fight the four other crewmates as long as Casterwill gets to fight the captain."


	5. Chapter 5

Razi looked down at Jen. He was bleeding from his mouth, knives cascaded in his back. Razi wanted to bring Jen up and put him on a pedestal, he was such a good friend. Razi poked Jen's cheek hoping for one slight sign of life. Jen already reeked from the smell of death. Jen was already dead but his Devil Fruit humidify the terrible smell. A terrible smell meant no Devil Fruit. Razi didn't know when someone with a Devil Fruit died his Devil Fruit came would roll out.

" He was one of our friends!"

Razi transformed into his four-legged wolf form. The girl with a beret cracked her neck. Daniel looked at her and saw something sticking out of her back. It wasn't like Razi's tail. It was long and looked like a serpent. Razi was too mad to see that tail. Razi attacked the girl. He was hit in the whiplash. Daniel ran up him just in time to grab Razi's human form.

" I know how mad you are, but acting like an idiot is not helping Jen!"

" She killed Jen!"

" Jen's not dead!" Razi and Daniel looked at Eiza. Eiza was pulling the knives straight out of Jen's body. Razi's ears went wolf as he jumped out of Daniel's arms and ran towards Jen. Razi felt Jen breathing from the back of his head.

" Jen's alive!"

Razi and Eiza looked at Jen and smiled. They grabbed each other's hands and jumped happily around Jen. But, like the grim reaper taking away the one's we love, the man with the rosemary threw knives towards Jen and pulled him away from Razi and Eiza— the pink haired man caught Jen. Jane grabbed the unconscious man with the Mohawk. She was using him as a bargaining tool. Jane used a small bladed knife to poke in his neck.

" Listen here, you pieces of shit! Give us back Jen or your friend here dies!"

Jane was impressed. She considered herself to be the most callous member of the crew, but what the female of their group did was evil, and she liked it. The priest handed her a colt. The girl aimed her colt at her own friend and fired. The sound of her gun scared Jane, she dropped the man and covered her ears. Razi, Daniel, and Eiza watched the bullet go through his head. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

" If you're going to try bargaining with someone's life make sure that person's not just a hired gun." The girl hand her gun to the priest. Razi's eyes noticed a symbol carved on the wooden handle. It looked all-embracing, something from a Catholic Church. "Like that ugly member of yours, we too were lying dead not caring when we die. But Casterwill resurrected us and showed us the truth. We now know it isn't our fault we were so scared in ourselves…it was the vessels we came in."

" What do you want with us?" Daniel yelled.

" From you, nothing, ya prostituted fuck buckets, " the priest said. " but Casterwill told us if we waited by the water, that monstrous fish's friends would come for him. He wants us to battle your crew and rate your powers and fighting abilities from one to ten. Come at us with everything you got, you heathen bastards."

" I'm a woman!" Jane yelled squeezing her hands and yelling like a little girl.

" Call yourself whatever you want, you heathen bastard."

" Forgive my associates bad words," the pink haired boy said moving in front of the girl and priest. " Allow us to introduce ourselves properly before we attack each other like uncivil men and women. My name is Eden. Eden Blake. The man with the rosary is Kross and the girl is Mindy."

" Mindy?" Everyone asked in question. A girl like her with the name Mindy just sounded really weird to them.

" Yes, my name is Mindy. Mindy Peppercorn. You can call me Wild Tail."

" Why should we call you that?" Razi asked.

" I'll show you." The wide axis of Mindy's eyes enlarged as she went through her transformation. Her clothes were coated by small light brown fur. She grew a monkey tail. It was the same tail she used to push Razi away. Her head turned into a monkey's head, her beret turned into monkey fur and wrinkles appeared above her nose. Mindy ate a Zoan fruit turning her into a monkey." Monkey see and Monkey do. I ate the Saru Saru Fruit (Monkey Monkey Fruit). I have more strength and stamina than the average human being, and look at my tail…look at it."

" Congratulations. If only you showed up twenty years earlier you would be special with Monkey D. Luffy," Daniel said laughing at Mindy. Mindy took offence to Daniel's words and cracked her knuckles. " Here you are just another maniac pirate going to be hurtin'."

" Look at you beautiful children," Kross said as he rubbed his rosary. You have such nice skin and beautiful young sexual parts." Kross removed two long swords. The swords were four feet tall and looked like Daniel's katana's. " I will cast a shadow over you that is beyond darkness itself. Killing is unbecoming of a real priest, but I'm crazy!"

" I don't know what's funnier!" Daniel laughed." That you think I'm scared of a little extra violence or her tit less ass intimidates me."

" You haven't even seen my power yet." Just like he said Eden Blake unleashed his true form. Eden shredded his clothes away with his own wings. They were the same color as Jane, and it made everyone curious.

" You're a Skypien too?" Jane asked.

" I am not a Skypien," Eden replied.

" Than you ate some kind of Zoan Devil Fruit?" Eiza asked.

" I'm not Skypien and my Devil Fruit is not Zoan. My Devil Fruit allows me to sprout wings on my back."

" That's kinda lame," Razi said.

" Says the captain who transforms into a wolf," Daniel retorted.

" Are we through talking?" Mindy said in an antsy and ticked off tone.

" Daniel, Jane, Eiza let's get them!"

The battle when Razi, Daniel, and Eiza ran straight towards Kross, Mindy, and Eden. Before the three of them fought, Jane spread her wings and jumped over her nakama. Jane wasn't being a coward. She was abandoning them on the battlefield. Daniel was the first to notice this, and because of that Mindy landed a fierce blow into him. Eiza formed an ice saber combating Kross. Eiza wasn't as good with a blade as Daniel, but she blocked Kross from decapitating her head. Razi transformed into his wolf hybrid form and launched nail projectiles at Eden. The nails couldn't penetrate his wings holding around his torso.

" Jane...help us!" Razi ordered.

" Jane is gone," Daniel said. " She flew away."

" Jane's gone?" Eiza said completely stunned.

" Nice shooting, but not quite nice enough," Eden said to Razi.

" I'm going to castrate the one with the smokers voice," Kross laughed.

" You can't beat Casterwill," Mindy said with her snide remarks. " Compared to him, we are all just poultry. If you can't win than maybe you should let someone who can."

Eiza, Razi, Mindy, and Eden attacked in a hurricane of fighting. One moment Razi was scratching Mindy who blocked his blow, then Razi was smacked by Eden's right wing. Eiza returned the blow shooting a ball of ice into Eden's face. Eiza didn't know who she was facing. The moment Eden flew away Mindy rushed in and attacked in a flurry of punches. Her speed was excellent but her punches were lacking in stopping power. When Mindy finished Eiza's face was cracked in ice. She healed quickly restoring her face to its once beauty.

Why did Jane leave them. Daniel originally thought she just came with them because she was forced too, but why did she leave them now? Daniel thought she wanted to stay with them forever. He thought she was their friend. All those things puzzled him, and he hated being puzzled, when he found her he was going to kill her just like he would kill the priest. Daniel charged into the priest and slashed into his arm. Daniel was so mad at Jane he didn't catch the priest from dodging his attack. He couldn't defend against the priest. He appeared behind Daniel, slashing his sword right into Daniel's back.

The priest was shaken by Daniel's power. Like lightning he evaded his most deadly attack and sliced through his most vital area. Daniel was in no mood for games and finished him easily. Daniel slashed his sword through the right side of the priest, leaving a large wound no one could survive from, and said in a tired, angry tone.

" You will not cut a swordsman's back!"

Daniel saw a white rabbit hop its furry tail up to Kross legs. His intestines dropped out of Kross stomach like a bowl of spaghetti. Daniel was surprised he wasn't dead yet, but it wasn't any concern to Daniel. Daniel almost walked away to help Razi and Eiza when he heard the crazy priest laugh.

" I'm learning from you, you snow haired heathen. There's something I want to show you." Daniel looked at Kross. He was holding the white rabbit. Kross opened his mouth, sounding like a wailing spirit glowing blue. Tiny particles came out of the white rabbit and went through Kross's mouth. The rabbit fell asleep from sickness like its immune system was shut down. The moment the rabbit was asleep Kross's wound healed.

" I ate the Shinigami Shinigami Fruit (Reaper Reaper Fruit). It makes killing me much harder. When I'm going to die I can absorb the life force of anything I touch and add those years to my own, giving me the ultimate power for longevity."


	6. Chapter 6

It made sense Jane would leave Razi's crew. Sometimes what she did was just depressing and made everyone feel bad, but she wasn't a miserable failing pirate like Razi. She had a dream last night not having room in her room making everyone feel claustrophobic. The line-up was snivelling bandits who followed her, and where did they end up, dead.

Jane was flying towards the castle. Jane looked around at the hired guns hiding around the front door. They were specially docked, hiding their boats in the forest and using it as barricade. These guys were nothing like the guy poking around the ocean. Jane sighed and then yawned in her cuffs at the guards on the top of the castle. One was picking his nose. Jane went down kicking the guard in his jaw. He went down hard.

" That was fun," Jane muttered out loud.

Jane's wings that once brought pain in her back folded out as wind blew into her. She glided off the castle joining a cloud of birds chirping loudly. Jane saw many strange creatures on her travels, but never a bird growing fruit for their chins. Jane moved in her haste to find gold in Casterwill's castle. She used an ample kick to the window and broke through the glass. She was in, and it didn't like any alarm went off letting the guards know she was here.

The birds rose proudly chirping in concupiscence like cancer for the female birds. Jane would gore their souls on how much she hated their annoying voices. Before she could think of firing a yellow line lethality to the birds, a fast projectile almost went through her. The projectile ripped through her dishevelled gray hair; her flimsy other eyes that showed her sick in despair.

She was going to kill the bastard. She chafes at her target, he was a coward. She would make him suffer her cruelty. Another one almost went through her leg. The attack wasn't as convoluted the second time. She jumped over the attack and looked at what bullet her opponent used to cut her hair.

" A playing card?"

She meets the person playing unfairly against her. He was a methodical man with a brown mustache that looked like cat whiskers. In that instant she saw his gray suit and yellow buttons. He was stacking cards together in his fingerless black gloves and looking quite triumphant about himself.

" If you're looking for Casterwill, you have to go through me first," the man greeted. Jane was standing in a firefight. The man shuffled the cards again and this time the fifty-two cards discharged like a volcano. In the grace of his attack the cards executed a wall of sharp edges. " Fifty-Two Slicer!"

All fifty-two of the cards soared right into Jane like knives launched out of a cannon. Jane would not budge from the path of the sharp cards. She inhaled deeply and as sparks rattled the inside of the castle. The cards went through the electricity, the electricity poked holes in the cards, burned into ashes. The ashes coursed Jane's violence.

" You have no idea who you're dealing with!" Jane exclaimed. It was his premonition Jane would attack with more electricity. Jane's hands span electricity into giant balls. " Thunder Bombing!"

Jane released the electricity in a rapid-fire motion. Jane's attack of violence would not make the man cower. In his clear gaze he was laughing. In his hands ten cards appeared.

" That is one hot attack. But my attacks are hotter. Card Push!"

The man attacked with a forceful impact. The cards flew in the air and merged into a giant card. Jane's raze attack was blocked by the man's attacks. In the rigor of the flames Jane jumped over his card and sliced her passion scythe. Her blade sliced into his neck...he reamed the floor in paper. His body turned into cards the moment he almost died. Jane was on her guard.

" Did he eat a Logia Fruit? But his fruit works with cards, that's stupid."

The man invented himself a short while later. He appeared behind her with two poker decks. Her body would be left in gutters. His cards were lifted off the deck and went towards Jane. Jane sliced just as fast as Daniel, fast enough to be raved as a master swordsman. She sliced the cards with her scythe, not letting a single one cut her skin.

" Most weapons would break at the touch of my attacks. That means you keep your weapon sharp. Your skills are not just for pony show."

" Enough of your stupid card tricks!" Jane looked at the man with disgusted eyes. He was just a piece of paper facing a storm. He puked bile in her mouth; but she could turn that rotten garbage into fire and death. " I'm not here for Casterwill, Momo, or anyone! I put all this time waiting for the chance to take a building of all its assorted items. Nothing will stop me from getting rich. I will be richer than all the people on Skypiea."

" I find a woman's anger to be toasty hot. I like to see them stand with anger, and I have something to say about you." Jane thought the idiot was finally giving up after he sat down. He unexpectedly took a blank piece of paper and folded the paper. He made an animal tiger in seconds. " Super Origami!"

The paper grew suddenly in the mans fingers. It dropped off his hand. His attack was certainty used to bring the tiger to life. The paper lion coming to life roared at Jane. Like a fool Jane charged at the tiger. She slashed her scythe into the tiger, like a hurricane the paper ripped into cards swarming around her.

" False Aggression Card!"

Jane could not beat his ideology. His cards cut though Jane's arms and legs. Jane thought the worse was over with him and his paper attacks, but then a giant card crashed on her back! Jane was crushed under the card and couldn't get back up. He won this battle.

" Marco, what's going on out here?"

The man with whiskey mustache stopped. The giant card disappeared from Jane's leg. Marco wasn't dealing with one of Casterwill's measly guards; if this one was angry he could kill Marco. Marco looked at the prosthetic leg and huge scar of the man. His lab coat was white on the left side and red on the right side; red with the blood of animals. Marco saluted him from his puissant.

" Nothing, Doctor Bron. Just another thief who thinks they can steal from Casterwill."

" A woman?" Bron walked slowly in stride to look at Jane. Looked at her he did, she was a fine looking specimen. She had such a healthy appearance for a woman over fifty. She was an interesting creature: wings, thunder, strength, how angry she was. The doctor rubbed his hands in anticipation to examine her more thoroughly. " I've never seen a woman break in before. Marco, grab her feet. I'll grab her arms. Help me take her to the experiment chamber. She'll fit in nicely with that foreign beast Gero brought to us."


	7. Chapter 7

Back at the shore away from Casterwill's location Razi was fighting Mindy. So far they've reached in impasse. On one side Razi attacked with the fury of wolf claws. Mindy who was a monkey hybrid like Razi's wolf hybrid easily blocked all his strikes. She dispelled Razi's last attack when he released a powerful punch to her neck.

" Kiss my flying feet!"

Mindy knocked herself back. She disappeared into the forest. Eden whizzed over Razi's head before Mindy jumped out of the tree landing her feet in Razi's mouth. He could taste her toenails in his mouth and dirt. He was taking damage, he doubled over in pain.

" What do you think of my feet? A real _jaw _breaker?"

When Razi got up he looked like he barely took any damage. This lackey was strong but Razi tasted worse and felt worse than her. He replied in a nonchalantly, " They're okay. Not as tasty as wings. Hey, do you have any wings?"

" What? How can you still be talking? My feet would break anyone's mouth." Mindy could go on forever about what was wrong with this pirate, but calming her breath she asked, " What's your name?"

" Razi."

" Razi who? Is your last name Luffy?"

" No. It's just Razi. Marco said I don't have a last name because my family didn't have a last name?"

" Didn't have a last name? What kind of family doesn't have a last name…" This didn't make any sense. It was stupid. The boy was so stupid it made her angry. She took a calm breath to calm her annoyance." This is good. I thought you were somehow related to Monkey D. Luffy, the second King of the Pirates."

" Why? Do you hate Monkey D. Luffy?"

" Hate him? I admire everything he stood for. I'm what you would call a fanatic about him. To me no one in history was a better dynast leader than Monkey D. Luffy and the pirates that fought beside him until his execution. They say because of him children are going crazy with wild dreams. But I say everyone should have wild dreams. Like me, a girl wishing every birthday to be like Monkey D. Luffy. Than one day I got my wish."

" To be turned into a monkey girl?" Razi said carefree.

Mindy was tired of his lame remarks and it was hurting the frequencies of her brain waves. She switched between calm to angry. And finally she stayed at calm, taking calm breathes.

" Not to be turned into a monkey. I did that far before my wish came true. My dream was to wipeout, and get rid of, every adult."

" What? Why would you want to get rid of adults?"

" Because they astray you from dreams and negligent of kids. They hate us. They hate kids and they laugh at our dreams. Our sweet faces and happy smiles mean nothing to them. If Monkey D. Luffy was around he would say the same thing. Adults are stinky, greedy ass, dream killers."

" I was going to ask you to join my crew, but killing crosses everything I believe in. I will fight you, beat you, and get Momo back so we can gather the rest of my crew and leave."

Razi went through the cycle from human boy to wolf. He just barely touched Mindy biting her fingers. Razi was berserk, biting in her hand like a wild animal and almost ripping their fingers off. Mindy's fingers were just as strong as iron. With her iron body she lift Razi up and prepared through him.

" I'm going to plant you, dumb captain, into a tree."

Razi shook out of Mindy's arm. Mindy jump towards Razi and hits her tail into his paws. Razi changed forms like gears to his wolf hybrid. Razi growls and throws Mindy off his arm. Mindy kicks Razi in the stomach, landing a foot through his stomach. Razi kicks Mindy in the stomach like she did. Mindy kicks Razi in the stomach again and he returns the kick.

Razi and Mindy fought like they were trying to solve something. Their dispute was high, and the fighting between Eiza and Eden Blake was worse. Eiza is fighting Eden Blake throwing icicles at Blake. Eiza failed to hit Eden with a single icicle. Eiza moved on touching a tree and growing a spike. The spike almost impaled Eden but he ascended away from the spike.

" Wing Knockout!"

Eden flew down ready for some serious kickboxing. He extended both his hands together charging towards her. Eiza crafted a shield made of ice to hide behind. He feint the attack turning upside down and hitting her with his swings. The wings chipped off her face like frozen gum. Her face recovered instantaneous restoring the parts of her skin Eden chipped off.

" Razi was right. If all you can do is grow wings than this isn't much of a fight. Can't you do something better like create hurricanes, control the weather, fire lightning, or something devastating."

" Does a caw control the weather, create storms, or fire lightning from its beak? No, a caw flies away where problems stir and flies to where it is safe: home." Eden turned his neck around to show Eiza something very important about himself. The numbers 0101 were tattooed in black over his neck. Eiza remembered that mark as someone who went to prison. " Look at this bar code. What does it tell you about me? I was in prison. I escaped and that brought me here."

" As a Marine, I'm amendable with whatever force brought you there. You're a criminal and you deserve whatever justice should have come to you."

" I am not the criminal you believe me to be. I'm just trying to return home. My home is more than just a nest birds made, it's a place of trust and adoration. We may not see eye to eye, but even you must know the warmth of home."

" I don't know any warmth in home. All I know is the cold seed that brought me to this warm island farce. Life is cold just like this attack. Snowball Missiles!"


	8. Chapter 8

Eiza wasn't fighting on solid ground anymore. The ice hearted former Marine was flying off the ground and going into the sky much to Eiza's dismay. Her only hope was using her ice powers. She used a spear to cut and slashed her spear through Eden's wings and plunged to the ground, but more wings appeared on her shoulders. She was still flying very high.

"What have you done?" Eiza bellowed angrily in her tough Marine voice. She stared at Eden, and Eden stared back at her.

" Like Nico Robin, the seventh pirate of the Straw Hat Pirates, I can bloom my attack like a flower. The difference between her attack and mine is mine works with wings instead of arms. "

" Put me down!" One wing was still flapping through the air while the other one was wrapped around Eiza's arm. Eiza didn't know how she could still fly, but double the chances were there was a third wing somewhere on her body.

" No. I had enough of this blaspheme with the freedom of a bird. My wings will fly you away. I know you cannot swim, so these wings will fly you to the next island."

" I'd rather be dead!"

" Careful…that can be arranged."

Eden was smashed in the face by a black stranger. He was still standing upright as wings levitated him, then he was flying when that stranger tried striking him with a boulder. The wings that carried Eiza up carried her back down as if someone was controlling them. Eiza fell down into the safety of the stranger's arms. Eiza recognized him instantly. It was the man with the Mohawk Jen battled against. He seemed different.

" Hi Eiza," he said with a smile that could be mistaken for him flirting with her. Eiza questioned the integrity of this man. " I just recovered and…I didn't want to miss the action?"

This man who was a major powerhouse against Jen didn't exhibit the same traits as the lazy and drunken man she knew. He was more outgoing and happy than him. When he put Eiza down she frozen his right hand in a tiny bit of ice.

" Who are you?" She asked.

" It's me, Jen," the stranger replied rubbing his right hand with his left hand and blowing on the snow.

" Jen? You can't be Jen. Jen is scrawnier and you are bl…"

" It really is me."

The stranger tried talking to Eiza using his hands to act like he was writing on paper. He scribbled everywhere really fast and poked dots at the make-belief paper. Eiza realized what he was drawing wasn't paper but a map. Jen drew maps, but that didn't mean he was Jen. The stranger jumped over towards Eiza moving like a cowboy, sticking out his left leg and putting it back. He was square dancing ( something they didn't have in pirate time) trying to impress Eiza.

" You really are Jen. But how?"

" My spirit fruit. I saw this man lying dead on the ground and thought I could just borrow his body."

" That is a very bad thing you did, Jen." A yellow stem protruded from Jen's right ear. It was glowing while a gold patch appeared on Jen's head. The stem was really Jen's spirit and the patch was his soul leaving his head. He stopped when Eiza softly punched his newly strong chin." But it was a good thing you came. Thank you."

Daniel and Kross were fighting all over the place. Kross dashed towards Daniel, with a black katana and a white handle in his hand. Daniel blocked the strike, and showed off his anger pushing Kross back.

Daniel replicate Kross's move using only his purple metal katana. It looked like Daniel was going to repeat the same mistake Kross made, but he did a flip in the air and threw his katana at Kross. Kross slashed it away with his sword. Daniel kicked Kross in the face. When Kross collapsed Daniel picked up his sword, dashed towards Kross, and sliced his sword through the psychotic priest's right arm. Only the tip was covered in Kross's blood when he turned around.

Daniel should have damaged his fighting arm making him unable to lift a sword. By Daniel's bad luck a squirrel made it's way on Kross's stomach. What did the psychotic, sadistic priest do but grab the squirrel, healing his damaged arm. He got back up after he was healed.

" You cannot stop me. I have the cure for death."

" It's not a cure! You kill other things and people so you can live longer. It's not a cure, it's a curse!"

" Than answer me this. If you ate the same fruit as me would you not utilize its inscrutable capabilities?"

Daniel hated people like him. He hated people who would kill others to let themselves live more than he hated people who called him a "bastard". Daniel put his sword away. He was going to use Yoko Rashien, the sword that took away the lives of anyone who used it. Daniel saw his reflection in the blade. He looked awful. He had hair that either never left a bed in three days or never even soaked in water.

" I'm the son of the greatest Marine who ever lived. I can never lose."

Daniel and Kross charged together. Daniel roared in stunning anger while Kross laughed like a clown jumping in joy. With strength and speed they clashed their swords. The clash lasted only a moment and Daniel was backed away from Kross. Kross left a small vertical cut in Daniel's cursed sword, and Daniel's sword made a white line in his sword then it slipped away in half.

" Agh!"

Daniel turned back to Kross. He had the stance of a true swordsman and the glare of a lion. Kross quivered like a man facing a dog. Daniel believed in himself and his blade when he moved with quick, fast steps towards Kross about to cut Kross's head off.

" White haired friend of Momo!"

Daniel stopped. That voice was coming from Mindy. Daniel used to never be afraid of girls, but he trembled when he saw Mindy, and Razi, and her hands around Razi's neck. It was the first time Daniel saw anyone beat Razi. She was strong and put Daniel in a corner he never wanted to be. One hand had Razi and the other was holding his cigarette lighter she somehow stole from him. She was standing on the shore in front of their ship with the flames burning through the volatile flammable oil.

"I know how much you pirates love your ships. But do you three love your captain even more. Your captain can't swim in the water. Show me who you love by making a choice. I throw your captain in the water; you save him friend of Momo. I burn your ship; you put it out friend of Momo. You can no longer have both. And if any of you two other Devil Fruit pirates come any closer...I'll take them both away."

**Wow. Out of all the mean characters I've written in my One Piece story this one surprises even me. You don't see many strong female villains in One Piece except Slim Alvida, the woman who was partnered with Daz Bones, the woman in Water 7, and Boa Hancock before she fell in love with Luffy. I'm sorry for the late update and not putting an author's note in the earlier chapters. It makes me feel responsible for hurting your feelings. But there are better author's than me. Author's with more reviews, authors who put more effort in their chapters, make longer chapters, and those who have better characters. But what would I do without them. Playing Xbox 360 games all day and paying attention silently in Chemistry class? That was one predicament in my life, but it dropped when I became happy with civilized teenagers, fifth graders, and adult authors who are mostly girls writing their ideas about someone else's story and never get in trouble from the original author. Peace out for now until I update in a week or two. **


	9. Chapter 9

Jane was beaten. She lost to that Marco guy. She was bloodthirsty for battle, but her psycho mind couldn't beat the trap set by two men. Jane was feeling weak; something like anesthetics were soaked into her bloodstream. She tried charging blue electricity from her fingertips, but her wrists were restrained by some kind of plastic straps. The only thing missing now was someone taking her clothes.

Where was she? Jane could make out animals in the room with her. Not cute and fuzzy animals like cats or bunnies, this was a lab where the scientist man made monstrosities.

In cages she saw the back of a white and muscular rabbit-like creature with leopard ears and black stars on its back. One was infected with paleness in its skin, dead, the right side of his thoracic cavity already looked gnawed out by a few rats.

"Jane?" a voice said to the graveyard filling bandit. A voice talking to a devil worshiping piece of garbage like her was a surprise. It was the Fishman Momo. The person the crew was looking for.

"Where am I?" Jane shook her head when she realized something important was missing. "Wait, what are you doing here?"

"I don't know..." he began. "I mean...I know why I am here, but I have no idea how I was put here." Momo stared at his feet. He found something odd with the way his feet looked; they looked as normal to Jane as the first day she met him. "How did they catch you? You're suppose to be one of the toughest members of the crew?"

"Shut it!" Jane tried acting tough, even though she was really wallowing in self-pity. "I just got a little distracted. I thought I was against one opponent but I was really up against two."

"That's strange," Momo says looking at Jane. "The same thing happened to me. I was fighting a one on one fight against an old friend of mine, out of nowhere, somebody comes out and takes me down. This was after I found out he was an old friend of mine. He wasn't just a friend but a student, like me."

"Oh boo-hoo!" Jane said rather bitterly. "You're not the only one who's lost friends and family ya know. I've lost a lot of friends, people who worked for me, and I wept for all of them. But they were old. It's nature. The oldest ones and your parents die before you. You live in this world, you die in this world. You die early, you die in the middle of your life, and you die when your elderly. As for me I like to watch others die…it helps me sleep knowing I lived longer than others."

Jane tried to flail his arms out of the straps that she was trapped in. Jane was raging with anger. She was angry all the time. Why was she so angry, always wanting to hurt people and make them suffer? Suddenly, the iron doors opened and a man walked inside.

Momo could tell he was the scientist by the lab coat. The scientists always wore the lab coats. He was short scientist, too, which reminded Momo of a few friends he had once, dear friends. The scientist was the size of a midget with his head looking like six tumors were protruding from his head, and loose green hair on his ears. He had bright yellow eyes and had a necklace hidden under his lab coat.

The scientist held out his small hand.

"Good evening," he says to Jane and Momo. "My name is Dr. Szolo, and-"

"If you want to kill me you have to get through my cold dead hands!" Jane shouted before the doctor could finish. She looked down at the assignment in his hands, but was unable to read any of it.

"I am a doctor," Szolo said. "An assassin is not a part of me. I take care of you two for the good of the castle."

"Bullshit!" Momo shouted. "I bet you just work for money."

"I will not deny that fact," Dr. Szolo said. "Money is the greatest resource in life. They pay me to keep healing the shark so Goro can keep beating him to death. The girl I captured because, well, I think I am in love with you."

"Gross..." Jane said sticking out her tongue. The last guy who called her cute she almost gouged his eyes out.

"Don't worry. By the end of today you will fall in love with me. We will live happily ever after. What are you?"

Jane was a bit hesitant to answer. But the truth just erupted out of her like a volcano. "I'm a Skypian."

"Really?" Dr. Szolo seemed surprised. "I've never fallen in love with a Skypian before. I see your wings but I don't see your antennas."

"I'm a special Skypien," Jane said. "I know how to hide them."

Doctor Szolo laughed to himself, walking up to the table where he kept his tools. The doctor stared at the lamp above where he kept more of his tools. The strange little man then hummed to himself, beginning to sing.

"He's the greatest scientist…Jam Jami Jang, Jam Jami Jang, Jam Jami Jang. He won't every fall. He's the ding ding greatest scientist. He may not be the most reliable scientist, or the prettiest, all those who are rich they strut around thinking 'he's an ugly scientist'... But I am not without righteousness. Jam Jami Jang, I am Doctor Szolo."

_He's insane!_ Jane thought. _I am looking at an insane man!_

"Equip Doctor Szolo with…gas container."

Doctor Szolo picked up an instrument neither Jane nor Momo had ever seen before. It was in the shape of a cylinder, but had three rings around it and a tiny tooth on the lid. To Doctor Szolo, using this was the norm for calming prisoners.

"Stand still, please," Dr. Szolo said with a small smile.

Jane was sprayed with the green gas. It looked like something that came out of a devenom snake. Right when it touched Jane's skin, she was unconscious. The doctor sprayed her with enough of the gas to knock her out for ten minutes. Doctor Szolo unlocked her straps and begun to carry her away.

"What are you doing to her?" Momo yelled behind Doctor Szolo.

"I am going to clone her," the crazy scientist answered calmly. "I have embryos that can grow a baby inside this woman's stomach. I like to call them the 'seeds of regeneration'. Once a baby starts growing, I'll take it out and use my own experiments to accelerate her growth."

Momo laughed. "You're too late, Doc. Jane's unfertile. She told me on the boat. She can't have babies anymore."

"It doesn't matter," Szolo said. "I can inject her with a small but living and breathing parasite that will live inside her. When it has all her DNA, I can grow my own child that will be modified from its predecessor. A much stronger and younger version."

"You're using things like those to create your own illegitimate off springs?" Momo said. _It's a good thing I always use protection._

Doctor Szolo was laughing at his victory. Suddenly, Jane woke up and kicked Doctor Szolo in the face. Her attack did little harm to the doctor. Jane landed on her feet and scampered towards the doctor's lab. After she reached the lab, she threw a table at him. The doctor stood still as the table went through his face. The doctor was stronger than he looked. When the table rammed into him he swat it into the wall.

" You do know we live on an island?" He muttered, looking to the broken tools and other equipment. " It takes two months for new tools... You destroyed them...but you won't destroy me."

"Bring it, shorty!" Jane growled. Her hands generated blue electricity in her palms, and her hair follicles turned blue.

"My darling, you just don't get it," Szolo said. "Casterwill's already won. You and the shark are the last living captives. You think all my things are props but they are all quite real. My belt can signal when I am in danger. If they don't come here in two minutes, it means all the men are going after the rest of your friends. Do you know how many men Casterwill will still have even if they beat his army?"

"How many?" Jane asked, a bit frightful for the answer.

"One hundred."

X_X_X_X_X

Mindy won. She beat Daniel with her hostile terms and making an ultimatum on Razi's life. He cannot bring himself to choose—he knows if he chooses Razi, he will lose a ship. Daniel really wanted to be his own captain with his own ship, but not if it meant sacrificing Razi.

"Put him down!" Jen, as a man with a deep African American heritage, pointed his gun at Mindy. Eiza used her powers to create icicles in her hands.

"Don't stop!" Mindy laughs. " This is more fun than I could ever hope for. Go ahead and try! You might just kill me. You can try attacking both at once if you wish. One could hit me and the other will hit your captain. It's good to see friends who want to help their friends. Speaking of friends...I have two as well."

Eiza and Jen didn't know two shadows were stalking them. Eden Blake swooped down and trapped Eiza in his wings. Jen tried protecting Eiza, but two bayonet's were crossed around his neck like scissors. Eiza didn't try to fight Eden knowing the crazy priest could decapitate Jen with the slightest twitch.

"It's just you and me, swordsman," Mindy laughs. "You have to choose."

Mindy threw Razi in the water and dropped the lighter simultaneously. Daniel couldn't chose. Razi fell...he fell...into a coffin! A coffin was risen to the surface Razi landed in. The ship was saved when a black hand caught the lighter and crushed it.

"You are right about one thing," a voice spoke. Daniel and Mindy looked left and right and everywhere but couldn't find another person. "It's just you and me."

A dark object spin around in the ground like a tornado. The tornado drilled through the dirt than hovered Daniel and Mindy. The tornado then dispersed and inside was a pale looking salamander-man, his hair green as tendrils and his mouth filled with multiple sharp teeth. He looked menacing, he looked intimidating, and even Mindy who saw things amusing instead of scary, shuddered at the site of him.

" You're...You're..." Razi pointed to the floating man. " You're Umbrage."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello. This is one of the first PM's I had put up in this story for a long time. I put this PM up now because I have information to share and this is a longer chapter than the last one. First off I would like to thank BloodyMarryMe and Mc Da Kang for helping me write this chapter. That's right, two authors helped write this chapter. I would also like to thank M0M3NTAI for agreeing to help me when I needed it. Maybe he can help with the next chapter. Until then Peace Out and stay cool. **

X_X_X_X

Most of the crew never met Umbrage, Daniel looking at the white skin lizard sheathing his swords back into their scabbard. Jen knew exactly who Umbrage was, and that is why he was the most terrified of all. Umbrage, the monster he became, the way he could manipulate shadows, the multitude of pirates who ran down the hill had no idea they were walking into their graves.

Umbrage was by far the scariest man Jen ever met. He was almost impossible to beat in the middle of the day, when the sun was out and everyone's shadows were there to be controlled or eaten. Jen wanted to know if Umbrage was angry with him or even remembered him from the island. Umbrage starts walking towards the castle.

" Stop! " A pirate said angrily to Umbrage. " This is Casterwill's home. Leave now before we shot you! "

" No, you won't, " Umbrage said emotionlessly.

The pirates took Umbrage as a challenge. They charged at him with swords, knives, and bats hitting him. The pirates in the front line went in for the strike, Umbrage shadow rose from the ground into a giant mouth and chomp down on three people.

" He's a monster! Kill him! "

One by one the pirates attacked up close or fired at point blank. The first solider roared in pain when Umbrage hacked his arm off from a shadow he transformed into an axe. The rest of the men were stabbed by puppets of humans Umbrage created from his shadow. Jen knew what it felt like to die, to try to live but being overambitious leads you to your death. He was shaking his feet like Usopp afraid to go near Umbrage.

" This man is strong, " Mindy commented about how tough Umbrage was. " He would make a valuable ally to Casterwill. "

" Not in the dark, " Razi joked after recovering and limply moving to Mindy. "You need a lot of night lights to make his powers work. "

Umbrage was making the pirates nervous. They couldn't fight him, but if they ran away Casterwill would send an assassin to kill them. The last surviving pirates surrounded Umbrage in all directions. After using all that energy he had to be dizzy. The ones with guns waited for the right moment.

"Fire!"

The sound of all those guns shooting point blank at Umbrage was so loud even a gunman like Jen had to cover his ears or they would be shot off. The bullets went through Umbrage like cheese, no blood, holes all over his body. The pirate who ordered the attack smiled, but then Umbrage dispersed. He was only a clone used to trick them.

The pirates looked everywhere for Umbrage before he killed them. The real Umbrage appeared behind the leader kicking him into the nearest tree. The rest of the pirates, the one who shot him, were impaled by large knife-like shadows that appeared and impaled them through their chests.

"You pirates are so pathetic," Umbrage said emotionlessly after killing all the pirates.  
" Have mercy on me. I was just following orders!" The leader begged.  
It looked like Umbrage was considering whether he should kill him. He looked at the leader and how much fear was in his eyes, and then one side of his scissors appeared. He held the giant scissor half like a giant mallet, raising it over his head to slash.

"I'm following my own orders! The orders to kill anyone who is weak! "

The pirate let out one last terrified scream before Umbrage cut open his throat! Umbrage looked at the man choking his last words, which couldn't come out because his mouth was clogged with blood. The last thing Umbrage did before the man died was take his shoes off his feet.

" I like your shoes, I take them. "

" _This whole adventure has turned into a mess,_ " Jen thought watching Umbrage put the man's shoes in a warp hole he made with the shadows. " _How are we supposed to save Momo with someone like him here?"_

"Blake!" Mindy shouted in a commanding voice. " Help me eliminate this murderer off this island!"

"No," he said. "This battle is over. This is where I leave."

"Blake, you asshole! Don't you try to—"

Blake jumped and kicked Mindy's shoulder. She winced in pain; Blake created wings in his back and flew like a swan off the island. Mindy, not expecting Blake to come back, swore she would be the one to assassinate him.

Kross was back on his feet ready to fight Umbrage. Walking forward, Umbrage head turned to look at Kross, slashing at him with his swords. Umbrage used his scissor to block.

" Always respect a priest," Kross says sliding his sword away from Umbrage.

"Well," Umbrage says in a bored manner. " Can the priest give me a fight?"

Suddenly, Kross tried choking Umbrage. Umbrage spins around and kicks him to the ground with ease. Umbrage was amused enough to let Umbrage get back on his feet and when he gets back up he pushes him into the tree; unconscious.

"Can you fight, Kross?" Mindy asks worriedly.

Kross got back on his feet ready to fight Umbrage. He grabs his swords to chop him. He feels a hand on his right shoulder, not expecting it to affect him, he is pushed into the tree, and he falls on his feet as the pain intensifies. Kross sinks to his knees; screaming.

"Is this all a priest can do?" Umbrage said sounding deeply disappointed. " Don't you have something to make yourself stronger? Anything that can stop me? I am evil."

"I ate the Reaper fruit. I will take your life and use it to make myself stronger!" Kross got back on his feet faster than Umbrage anticipated and grabbed him. Umbrage stood emotionless as his energy was being sapped.

"Shadow Shadow…" Like wax in the sunlight Umbrage melted before Kross's eyes. He was sucking nothing but a wax figure. Suddenly, a tentacle drilled through his chest. " Tentacle Twisted Driller!"

X_X_X_X

Jane overflowed with raw electrical energy as she sent a cold glare at the creepy doctor. The blue streaks danced over her body before being gathered in the palms of her hands and hurled at the doctor.

The doctor dived out of the way, leaving the attack to char the wall. He kept running around the room to avoid the barrage of electric orbs being sent his way, indiscriminately destroying anything in their way.

"Hey, watch where you're aiming those things." Momo called out, from his position still strapped to a gurney, after just narrowly avoiding having his head blown off by one of the blast.

Jane paid him no mind as she scanned the room for the doctor, who'd somehow managed to hide away during the chaos. The lab was now a mess with broken and scorched equipment littering the area, it was a small wonder no one had come to check out all the commotion.

"Behind you; watch out!" Momo yelled, alerting Jane just in time as the doctor lunged at her with a syringe. The tip of the needle ripped through a piece of her shirt but nothing else.

Jane reacted by kicking the syringe out of his hand and sending him flying across the room, and crashing into a metal desk with various materials scattered about on top, with an electrified punch. It didn't take long for the doctor to lift himself from the rubble, but just as he did, Jane used her wings to swiftly appear behind him, hitting him with a condensed ball of charged electrical energy directly in his back. Seeing that he was still able to move even after taking that last attack at close range, Jane used both hands to charge one final blast of electricity, the air crackled with the energy she gathered for this attack, and a blinding flash engulfed the room as she released the attack as a steady, powerful stream of energy directly at her opponent. The devastating wave washed over the small doctor, momentarily erasing him from view. But, once the attack dissipated, both Momo and Jane could see the doctor standing in the same spot, unharmed by the massive blast of electricity.

"Tsk tsk tsk. It seems I'll have to teach my bride to be some manners before the wedding."

The insane doctor had suddenly become deadly serious, but Jane couldn't help but throw up a little in her mouth at being called his 'bride to be'. As the sadistic doctor lifted his arms, the two crewmates in the room noticed, for the first time, that his arms were now metal rods... and they were surging with an electrical power much like Jane's.

"Lesson one: -pay attention now, darling- 'a good wife shall not attack her husband or her husband's things'. Understand!?" the doctor shouted while releasing a blast of electrical energy, identical in size and speed to Jane's previous attack, back at the bodacious beauty. The attack swallowed everything in its path on its way to Jane, and their looked to be little hope for the gloomy Skypiean to survive.

"Jaaaane!" Momo yelled out in worry and despair, unable to do anything about the gruesome sight before him.

X_X_X_X

Kross coughed up blood as sharp pain rushed through his chest. The shadowy tentacle went right though, luckily missing his lungs. Even so, the priest found himself barely standing on his feet, still throwing up blood from the previous attack. His hazy eyes glared at Umbrage who simply gave him a bored look in return. Kross' eyes darted around the battlefield, trying to find anything he could use to power up his energy. However, he wasn't foolish; he knew that as soon as he turns his attention from Umbrage, he'll be as good as dead. So instead, he clutched his swords in both hands and charged at his enemy with the last of his strength.

"Horaaa!" Yelling from adrenaline and pain swirling inside him, the priest swung both swords at his opponent. He slashed and pierced from both sides with lightning speed, but the other moved through the air almost like water, flowing from side to side and avoiding every attack going towards him. Kross gritted his teeth in annoyance at this elusive enemy and charged again. With one sword he tried to pierce the head while he swung with the other towards Umbrage's torso. _'Try dodging this if you can,'_ Kross gleefully thought, certain in his victory now.

However, Umbrage wasn't that easy to beat. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the attacks coming. As the swords cornered him from both sides, the man suddenly became nothing but a shadow that fell apart soaked the ground like a puddle of black ink.

The priest widened his eyes in surprise as his swords went through nothing but air. He looked down just in time to see a shadow moving under him as it started climbing up his body and wrapping around it. Kross felt a sickening, cold feeling on his skin as the shadow crept up his limbs along with his fear at the sight. He tried to struggle, but the more the shadow entangled around him, the less he could move. His legs couldn't make a single step anymore, his torso couldn't even twist to the side, and soon even his arms proved useless as they were bind by the shadow.

"Just give up…it's over," Umbrage's voice came from somewhere within the shadow even though it didn't even have a human shape anymore. With that said, the shadow tightened around Kross' body, as it started twisting it, making the man cry out in pain. The shadow entangled around him so tightly it was getting hard to breathe. His arms twisted backwards and he was forced to let go of his swords, which fell onto the ground with a clanking noise. The voice from the shadow arose once more as Umbrage said two simple words; "Shadow Slicer." Suddenly, the edges of the shadow entangled around Kross became sharp, slicing into the man. All at once they sliced through him, letting the body spurt on the ground around him.

Kross' eyes widened in shock and pain when he felt the stinging, hot sensation from the slices that attack all across his body. "Gh…uh!" With mouth agape, coughing more blood, the priest fell onto the ground. He's whole body was ruined; sliced up and bloodied. He stayed limpness on the floor, seemingly finished.

The shadow puddle moved from the ground and started rising, taking over a more human-like shape until Umbrage once again stood there. He was just about to walk over to finish of the last one of them; the girl, when a sound stopped him. He looked back behind him with interested eyes, only to see Kross still trying to get up with his whole body shaking.

"Can't…die…I, who ate the shinigami fruit…can't die yet…my life is…eternal…" Kross was crawling on the ground trying to get up as he continued to search for something around him. Finally he found what he was looking for. One of the pirates who attacked Umbrage before was still alive and only unconscious. Planning to use his life force, the priest grinned evilly and launched himself with his last remaining strength towards the pirate. He was just about to touch the man's neck and suck out all of his life energy, grinning widely as he was sure he was saved. That's when suddenly numerous shadow tentacles pierced Kross from behind. The priest opened his eyes widely, confused as to what just happened. He could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth as it seeped out of it.

Behind the priest, Umbrage had his arm out towards Kross, with five piercing shadows coming out of his hand. Every shadow pierced his opponent's body in an instant. "This one was really persistent," the man sighed, retracting his shadows. The priest fell onto the ground, limo and lifeless with a loud thud.

Everything went silent after that. Both Razi and his crew and Mindy were simply staring at the shadow master who barely worked up a sweat over this fight. Mindy finally gritted her teeth as she seethed in rage. "You…bastard…" But her voice only brought Umbrage's attention on to her. As he stared back at her with his piercing, golden eyes the girl felt sudden fear awaken inside her. This man was dangerous, she realized. Too dangerous for her to fight on her own. _'I can't beat him now…I'll need more power. I need to get a rumble ball from the doctor, then I'll stand a chance!_' Thinking this, the girl suddenly turned and started fleeing towards the castle.

"Hey, where do you think you're going!?" Daniel shouted angry after the escaping girl. He wasn't done with her yet; not after she almost killed his captain and burnt their ship, he someday wanted to own. However, the monkey girl moved so swiftly through the forest and towards the castle, that there was no chance to keep up with her.

"Let her go for now…we'll meet her again sooner or later anyway," Eiza commented, staring at the dark castle rising on the hill before them. After all, their goal was that castle anyway.

"Tch," Daniel clicked his tongue, still not satisfied, but there was more important business to deal with right now anyway. So instead, he jogged back to Razi, sheathing back his sword in the process. "You ok?"

The wolf captain grinned back. "Yeah." However, his attention turned towards the shadow man. "More importantly, why are you here?" His voice was suddenly more cautious now.

"Razi, you know this guy?" Jen was still wary of the cold and strong stranger in front of there.

However before they had any more time to finish the conversation, Umbrage started talking. "I'm not here to play around. I came here to tell you something; Alabasta is in danger." His tone became even colder as he continued, menacingly, "We have captured the citizens there along with the ones in the palace. You have ten days to get there or my leader kills queen Vivi. That's all I came here to say...so you better hurry, Razi," Umbrage smirked evilly but there was no emotion in his eyes as he gazed at the wolf captain.

Unknowingly to all, Eiza shuddered at the mention of queen Vivi, but nobody seemed to notice. All the others were too occupied staring at Umbrage at shock.

"What was that?!" Razi growled as he heard the shadow master but before he could react, Umbrage was already gone. His form turned into a shadow before swirling up like a twister and disappearing in thin air.

"What do we do? Can we make it to Alabasta in ten days?" Jen crossed his arms on his chest, feeling worried.

However, the pirate captain stood up and took a step towards his crew. "Right now our main goal is still saving Momo. We'll worry about the rest later; first let's deal with the guys in this castle," he clenched his hand into a fist, preparing for a fight. "I still have a score to settle with that girl too," he grinned in excitement, thinking of Mindy.

The rest nodded, following after their captain as the pirates started running towards the castle. Behind them, Razi's pet snake followed, hissing in excitement as well.

X-X-X-X-X

"Hya!" Jane yelp in pain as she crashed into a bunch of scientific appliances behind her, a stone wall finally stopping her. She felt the air rush out of her lungs and spit out some blood as numbing pain attacked her back. She landed onto her knees, panting and gasping for breath. Her wings twitched as she tried to move them, making sure they weren't broken. As the dust clear, the woman looked up at the scientist walking towards her. His hand was different now; instead of skin was metal as his whole hand transformed into some kind of rod.

"What the hell is that?!" The woman demanded, glaring at the strange object replacing the man's hand.

"This? Ah, this is a wonderful scientific invention! My own of course!" The doctor happily walked towards her, excited about the invention he created. "You see it absorbs all electricity and can become a weapon that way. All I have to do is fire it back at you. See!?" As he exclaimed, he pointed the rod at Jane and another electrical blast came out.

Prepared this time, the Skypiean woman jumped to the side, expertly dodging the attack. She felt irritation rise inside her. _'He's using my attacks against me, I can't even use my electricity powers then!'  
_  
"Now, now, my future wife, don't make such a scary face," Szolo joked with a grin as he saw the glare Jane was giving him. "Though you're cute even then," he added teasingly, pissing the woman off further.

"Shut it, you midget! If I can't use my devil fruit powers, I'll just beat you the old fashion way and pound you into the ground!" She shouted and lunged at the doctor with all her speed. In an instant, she was in front of him and delivered a kick attack aimed for him head. _'I'll just kick you into the oblivion!_' Jane thought, seeing the short man in front of her.

However, the doctor simply blocked her leg with the metal rod. The object made an electrical sound, as sparks coursed through it. "With all your electrical attacks earlier, this thing is charged to the maximum. It seems you still haven't learned rule number one, love—," the sadistic doctor sang before the rod blasted its electricity right into Jane's leg, making the woman fall on the ground. She yelped in pain, twitching and shaking from the strong electrical current running throughout her body.

"Jane, no!" Momo yelled in panic, seeing his crewmate on the floor.

"Don't….distract me…Momo!" The woman shouted back at the fishman, trying to get up from the ground. She was breathing hard, trying to calm her twitching nerves that were done in by the electricity.  
Just as she was getting up on her hands and knees, she felt a cold metal against her ribs. Looking up with wide eyes, she saw doctor

Szolo's sadistic grin filled with excitement. He was enjoying torturing her like this. Before she could move, the rod let out another electrical current through her body, making her quiver in agony. "Hyaaaaa!" Jane screamed, feeling every muscle in her body contract from the sudden pain.


	11. Chapter 11

**The following is a story co-written by me and BloodyMarryMe. I know the last chapters have been a little hard to read because they were all taking place on the beach and in the castle, but after this one everyone will be back together. Will they battle Casterwill? Will Gero ever forgive Momo? Find out. **

X_X_X_X

Jen was taking the lead as the group carried on to Casterwill's kingdom. He was there as a bullet shield in case men jumped out to ambush the group with guns. Now that Jen was a handsome dark-skin man with only one bullet hole wound, he had to take better care of himself.

Jen was hot. The sun was brighter than ever for him. The man who had this body was wasted when he took it over. Jen could taste the cigarette he smoked and knew how many bottles of beer he consumed before they arrived on the island. The total number was six.

" Be careful," Eiza told Razi who was sticking his face at Kaya. The python was tickling his nose with his tongue. " Are you listening? If it wasn't for Umbrage you wouldn't be here right now."

" Yeah, yeah I already know that," Razi said stroking his finger on Kaya's head.

" Get thrown in the water next time!" Eiza shouted like her old Marine self. " See if I care!"

" There's no need to act exactly like a marine," Jen said. " Razi's very sad about what those three did to him and he's just trying to use Kaya to help with the stress."

" He really likes that creature." Eiza wriggled her hands in shook. " I can't stand snakes. They're scary, slimy, and move on your back. I would never want one as a pet—"

" Eiza."

" Yes."

" Please stop talking."

Jen stopped Eiza because they were at the door where Casterwill was hiding. The door was blue and highly decorated. Jen tried pushing the door open but it was too strong. He then realized the door could only be opened from the inside of the castle. His brain was trapped in a blizzard of confusion thinking of how he would open the door, and then it hit him like Jane's signature slaps.

" _What if we got Daniel and Razi to climb the wall. While they are climbing I will distract the guards. Then Eiza will throw ice balls at them. We invite them to join our game, and Razi and Daniel will open the door. Then I use my gas bullets to put the guards to sleep and—" _

" Ice Jumping Bridge!"

Eiza had her own plan on getting over the castle. Putting Jen, Daniel, and Razi with Kaya wrapped around his torso neck to her, she used both hands to create a bridge flying over the castle. When they were over the bridge, Jen saw a guard with a spear looking at him so he took out his gun.

" Citrus Shot!"

Jen fired a bullet that looked like a lemon between the guards eyes. It exploded when it touched his face. The guard's eyes became watery and he cried in pain trying to rub the water out of his eyes, but from Jen's perspective it was only making it worse.

" Good job, Jen," Eiza gushes. She pecked Jen's cheek. Jen was hiding his face; embarrassed. " You might have just saved all our lives."

" I was about to take care of him anyways," Daniel scoffs. Eiza rolled her eyes and he amused Razi.

" Really? How?"

" Diving into him and stabbing him through the throat with Yoko Rashien."

" That would be a good plan if we wanted to kill him," Eiza laughs, watching Daniel looking at her and giving her an angry look. " I don't see a problem with Jen's way. The man got to live and he won't remember our faces. "

Daniel remembered how much he hated girls. They never took anything seriously. They had no morality about what they say or what they do, it was almost like they wanted to emasculate them and it was weird. Eiza finally landed inside the castle wall with the crew. Razi naively clapped his hands after entering the castle.

" Fun house!"

His happiness was taken away when pirates appeared with their cutlasses and pistols. Daniel scoffed and grabbed his swords. "More like a madhouse."

A man appeared shuffling cards in his hand. It was Marco playing with his cards. The crew were more alarmed by the way he dressed than him.

"Welcome to Casterwill's Castle," the man said picking up the top card of his deck. " How would you like a present?"

Marco tossed his card at Razi. The card transformed into the symbol of a club making its way towards Razi. Eiza used her powers to create a wall of ice in front of Razi. When that symbol touched the solid wall of Eiza's ice, more of the symbols flew over it heading for her. The tip of the symbols went through Eiza's skin like arrows.

" _How did a little card do all that_?" Daniel thought seeing all those clubs in Eiza's skin.

The clubs didn't seem that sharp since Eiza was still alive and standing up. She pulled the _clubs_ out of her body and threw them away. Her body recovered since she was made of ice.

" You're okay, Eiza?" Jen asked, concerned.

She grinned. " It takes a lot more than that to scathe the great Eiza Kuzan." Eiza heard a laugh. It was coming from Marco. He flashed ten cards at Eiza and laughed.

" Come on. Did you really think I would fight if I didn't want you to know I am the one with the _full _hand?" Marco flipped a card to show the group. It was the 4 of Hearts. The card transformed into four tiny burning hearts in his hand. " 4 Hearts—Hearts Flame Sunbeam!"

The four hearts moved in circular motion flying into the air. The crew were dazed and a little dizzy looking at those hearts. Suddenly, the hearts flew to the sun and an intense beam of solar rays beam towards them. Jen ducked from the beam. Razi, Daniel, and Eiza ran away from the beam. The beam touched Jen's butt, flaming it.

" Yikes!" Jen cried out. His butt felt like it was on fire, which it was. " Ahhhhh!" Jen cried out some more. Eiza ran up to him and unleashed a snowstorm that froze the flames.

" Your friend is very _hot_, if you know what I mean," Marco giggled raising four cards: eight of hearts, eight of diamonds, eight of clubs, and eight of spades. " As you are well aware each card has a different rarity. Clubs are like birds attacking when the prey try to hide. Hearts are hot. Now you will see what diamonds and spades can do."

X-X-X-X-X

Jane's body lay on the ground, unmoving. There was light smoke coming out of her skin and the scent of burnt hair was in the air. A short man was standing beside her, looming over her with a large grin on his face.

"Well my darling, I think our first fight went pretty well, did it?" Doctor Szolo joked, still pretending to be her future spouse. Though in his case it was a plan for the future rather than just a game of pretense. The doctor turned back to the trapped fishman, observing Momo who was glaring at him dangerously.

"You bastard…" The sawshark growled at the scientist, trying to break free from his restraints.

"Don't worry, your turn will come soon," the doctor sounded as if trying to reassure the fishman in an eerie tone.

He stepped closer to Momo when a sound behind him stopped him. Turning around with interest, Szolo saw Jane starting to get up. _'This woman is too stubborn for her own good',_ the man thought, sighing at the sight.

"I'm not… done with you yet," the Skypiean glared at the scientist before her, raising up to her feet. Before he had time to react, the woman charged at him, using her wings to gain more speed. She delivered a number of kicks and punches towards the man, but Szolo was surprisingly agile. He moved to the side and avoided her punch from the left, before jumping to avoid a kick aimed for his knees. He counterattacked with his rod aimed for Jane's face, but the Skypiean managed to dodge in the nick of time, avoiding the electrically charged metal. She managed to break his defense and get closer to him, smirking at her nearing victory. Clenching a fist, she went for his gut, but the man suddenly disappeared. He became even faster, as he flipped backwards and avoided her attack. Suddenly, still in the air, the doctor pulled out three syringes from his white coat and threw them at Jane. Widening her eyes in surprise, the woman had no time to dodge. So she did the only option left. She stepped backwards and sheltered herself by putting her wings in front of her like a wall of feathers.

"Wing wall!" Her wings hardened suddenly, and the syringes broke when they made contact with them. However, because of this block, her vision was momentarily obstructed by her own wings. Because of that, she hadn't noticed the doctor already lunged towards her with his weapon, before it was too late. As Jane removed her wings from the front, she gasped at the sight of her enemy in front of her. He pushed the rod towards her stomach, charging out the electricity.

"Gyaa!" The woman screamed in pain. However, luckily the electrical blast wasn't as strong as before. It seemed his rod was slowly loosing electrical, energy becoming weaker.

"I'm finishing this fight," Szolo said, taking out another syringe and going for Jane's arm.

Jane gritted her teeth and endured the pain. If she fainted or fell the ground, the doctor would inject her with whatever that was and she would really be done for. She couldn't allow that. She wouldn't lose to this midget; her pride depended on it!

"Jane!" Momo yelled worriedly from the sidelines.

The skypiean used her wings once more. Before she fell, she swung with her wings as hard as she could, ignoring the small room she had and all the appliances she took out with that move. "Wind buster!" She created a strong blast of wind with her wings, that hit the approaching doctor head-on.

"Ugh!" Szolo was pushed backwards by the wind from her wings, landing into the wall. He slid back down to the ground and on his knees, using his rod to prop himself back up on his feet. The man gasped, feeling pain in his back from the impact. "That...was pretty unfair, you little vixen," the doctor panted.

However, Jane didn't stop there. She rushed forward towards the doctor with all her remaining speed and energy. Blue electricity coursed through her right palm as sparks flew out of it.

"I already told you that's useless!" Szolo simply raised his metal rod in front of him, blocking the palm. The two electrical currents collided, creating a blast of energy. The doctor smirked, expecting the girl was blown away from the electrical explosion, but he couldn't see anything from the thick smoke that appeared because of the blast. However, a shadow moved through the smoke, charging out of it and appearing right above the doctor. Szolo opened his eyes wide in shock as he realized it was Jane. Instead of being blown out of his way as he expected, she was right in front of him with her left palm now filled with those blue sparks. The doctor tried to act quickly and block the attack, but it was too late. She already had her hand on his head, gripping him with all her might.

"Shock!" She yelled and sent all her charged electrical energy into the doctor's body.

The man screamed in agony as high voltage of electricity coursed through his body, shaking him to his core. When the attack finally stopped, the man's head was black with Jane's palm printed on his forehead in a red color. His body continued to twitch and jolt as he fell onto the ground, only white showing in his eyes. Jane scrunched her nose in disgust as she smelt burnt flesh and hair in the air. The body beneath her feet was slightly smoking as burns appeared on the man's already-ugly face.

"You did it!" Momo yelled out happily.

Jane, on the other hand, simply sighed and gave the doctor one final glare. "Hmpf, of course I did! Like I would lose to this piece of garbage," she shrugged and walked towards the restrained fishman, trying to act tough. In truth her whole body was aching, but she would never admit to that weakness.

Momo snickered and showed the skypiean his shackles. "Mm, a little help please?" He grinned at her innocently.

Jane simply grinned. "Honestly, you're hopeless." With that the skypien helped the fishman take off his shackles, as they helped each other get out of that horrid place. They left the unconscious doctor behind, not turning back.

X_X_X_X_X_X

Marco grinned as two cards floated above each his hand. One was an Ace of spades while the other a three of diamonds. The symbols on the cards suddenly shone brightly and numerous diamond and spades symbols started coming out of the two cards, getting bigger in the process.

"Try fending from this. Either the diamonds will blow you up or the spades will rip you to shreds," Marco sent the symbols towards the group of pirates. The red diamonds inflated, filled with explosive power. On the other hand, the end of each spade symbol prolonged horizontally, creating an arrow-like shape from the card symbol.

The spade arrows started showering down onto the pirates, pointing their sharp ends at them.

"Ice wall!" Eiza shouted and created a large wall that shielded her, Jen, Daniel and Razi from the attack. The spade arrows crashed into the ice, shattering everywhere. However, only then did the group realize that the diamonds surrounded them as if they were in a mine field. Before they could block, the diamonds exploded.

"Move!" Daniel yelled loudly, sensing the trouble. They jumped to safety but the blast still sent them flying into the ground.

Still in the air, Jen took out his guns and turned to face Marco. Even though he was flying from the blast, the pirate started shooting with both of his guns at the card user. It felt strange moving and using in this new body of his, but Jen had no time to get used to it.

Marco saw the bullets coming and created a wall of cards that flew around his body, as if he was in the middle of a small twister of cards. "Card block!" He shouted and grinned as he saw Jen's surprised reaction before the black man fell onto the ground and slid across it. Not waiting for Jen to get up, the other continued with his attack. "Shark bite!" A large shark made entirely out of cards appeared in the air, looming dangerously above Jen. The pirates gasped, watching as the large object created a massive shadow over him. It had its jaws opened, with sharp teeth made out of hardened cards. The shark suddenly started diving down towards him and Jen soon realized he won't have time to roll away and dodge this large creature.

"Get away from him!" Jen heard a familiar voice of his companion as Eiza suddenly charged towards them and jumped in front of him, who was still lying on the ground. "Ice balls!" She shouted and large balls made of snow and ice appeared around her. The balls then proceeded to fly at high speed towards the shark's open maws, until they ripped the cards. The creature lost formed and fell onto the ground as nothing but regular cards before they were summoned once again back into Marco's hand.

Casterwill's subordinate shuffled them once skillfully, before gritting his teeth in annoyance. "You're a nuisance…it's difficult fighting all of you at once; you just keep flying around me like pests," after muttering that, the man turned around towards a large group of awaiting men armed to the teeth. They were all his subordinates, ready to kill at his command. "Men, take care of her!"

On his order, Casterwill's men cheered and roared, charging towards the pirate girl. Eiza just helped Jen back up and narrowed her eyes at the new annoyance coming their way. However, before the men could even reach Eiza, they were stopped by a young man holding two swords and blocking their way. Daniel had no intention of letting them go any further. He was blocking numerous swords with his two blades at the same time, glaring at his enemies.

"Blade twister!" Daniel called out and spun once with his two swords, creating numerous sharp air pressured sliced through the air that dances around his body. The slices hit his opponents head on. The men, who were sliced, yelled in pain and died instantly with their blood splattering onto the floor. The rest hesitated for a moment, seeing the strength of the pirates before them.

"What are you waiting for!? I said to kill them!" Marco suddenly ordered in a dangerously cold voice that warned of their fate if they didn't do as they were ordered. Deciding they'd rather face Daniel's swords than Marco's wrath, the men charged and attacked the swordsman.

Daniel blocked one sword and jumped to the side to avoid the other. He stepped to the left to avoid a pierce going for his head, sliding his one sword along the enemy's one, while stepping closer to his opponent. He easily sliced the man with his other katana, beheading him in one slash. Daniel ran forwards towards the others again, slicing through them easily as he moved. Finally, he blocked one machete coming towards his head, while using the other sword to block a blade behind him. He could hear the surprised murmurs of his enemies as they couldn't even land a hit on him. He was simply too fast and too skilled.

Then Daniel stopped. He concentrated on the two blades in his hands, pulling his arms back. He stood there motionlessly for a moment, with both blades horizontally behind him before gazing at the enemies that were running towards him. "Devil's path." He called out and suddenly rushed forwards, so fast that his opponents couldn't even realize what happened. Before they could understand, Daniel passed them by and reappeared on the other side of the room, behind the group. Meanwhile, everyone from the group suddenly fell onto the ground with a deep cut in their torso. The swordsman who was slightly leaning forward, stood back up straight and turned to look at the large number of men lying on the ground in their own blood. "Small fry," he simply commented before turning his attention back to Marco.

The card user stared at the whole scene with wide eyes, looking at Daniel with a shocked expression. "You…how did you…?" He wanted to ask something, still under the influence of what he just saw, but then changed his mind and glared at the swordsman instead. "Never mind…I'll show you! You haven't seen anything yet!" He yelled out and used his cards again, making them dance around him as if they were alive. The cards moved faster and faster, swirling around the room and rising into the air as they formed new shapes and forms. Suddenly two large creatures appeared before Razi and his crew. One was a giraffe while the other was a narwhal, both in their original sizes. The whale, however, had large wings as it moved in the air like an enormous bird.

"Heh So you're finally getting serious, huh? In that case, let's finish this," Razi felt adrenaline pump through his veins as he got excited by how serious Marco became about this fight. It made him want to reciprocate with his own strength. The wolf captain lunged forward and jumped into the air towards Casterwill's executive. He clenched his fist and a black matter enveloped it, looking like a mitten or a wolf's paw. Razi swung with that arm, aiming for Marco's face but suddenly cards of large size appeared in front of Marco's stacking before him like shields. Razi's fist simply bounced off of the shield cards, and the captain landed back down in front of the card wall. "Guess this won't be as easy as I thought," the captain muttered.

Meanwhile, Daniel had his own problems as he battled the large giraffe made of cards. He sliced at it from all sides, but couldn't do any damage. The card animal was as hard as steel. It suddenly swung its neck down on him and he had to jump to the side to avoid being squashed by it. The neck crashed down onto the ground, creating a long hole in it.

"Let me!" Eiza stepped beside Daniel and reached out with both of her arms. Out of them came cold snow, ice and mist combined at it started enveloping the giraffe, creating an ice wall around it. If you can't slice it than freeze it; or at least that's what Eiza thought. However, it didn't go quite as she imagined. More cards came to join the ones forming the giraffe, making the animal even bigger. The card animal grew in size, until it was so big it simply broke all the ice around that bound it.

Meanwhile, the narwhal aimed its horn into the pirate crew, before flying with speed towards them. It crashed down onto the group at the same time that the giraffe used its long neck again to smash down onto the pirates.

"Haaa!" Razi and his group yelled as the hard monsters crashed into them. They could all feel pain through their limbs as the blast itself sent them deeper into the ground. They all ground, lying on the ground and weakly trying to get up while the dust around them cleared.

"Khahaha! It's useless, useless!" Marco laughed loudly as he saw the pathetic state the pirates were in. He created four cards that slipped beneath the pirates and enlarged them enough to handle their weight. "And now it's time to take out the trash," amused by his own joke, the executive manipulated the four large cards to go up. They flew high above, going into the sky with the pirates still on them.

X_X_X_X_X_X

Mindy pushed the doors of the laboratory open, expecting to see doctor Szolo there. He was always in this place, doing his awful experiments and cutting people up. "Doctor! I need those rumble balls!" She demanded loudly, rudely entering and walking across the room where she knew the rumble balls usually were.

Her eyes widened when she was the small man lying on the ground, unmoving. "Dead, huh?" Despite her initial surprise at the sight, there was no tone of concern in her voice as she saw the body. Instead, she simply stepped over him and went for the large, glass jar where the rumble balls were. Taking a good amount, she went back to get out of his creepy laboratory. It always seemed like an eerie place to her, giving her goose bumps, and she always hated it. The doctor was also just a creep and a sadist; she only tolerated him because he was useful anyway. Just as she was about to step out, a hand on her ankle stopped her. The girl gasped and stared down at the barely conscious doctor.

"H-help….me…" Szolo grunted, looking up at her.

Mindy watched the man for a while as if considering what to do. Finally, she simply shook his hand off, with a disgusted expression on her face. "Get off…I don't have time for you," she spat coldly before turning and leaving the room.

Mindy played with one of the rumble balls in her hand, examining the small yellow item. _'With this I'll wipe you all out…that annoying wolf captain and that shadow guy,'_ at that dark thought an evil smirk appeared on her features.


	12. Chapter 12

**The following was written by 4fireking and BloodMarryMe. Just like the great Alabasta arc and Marineford arc this great arc has reached it's end. The ending of this arc is thanks to BloodMarryMe. Please continue to read, do your homework before reading this, bed at 10, and if you spot any spelling errors please inform me.**

X_X_X_X_X

Jen didn't know which was worse. The fact they were flying higher than any man could fall and survive or that Daniel looked like he was going to throw up from motion sickness. This Marco guy was a dangerous opponent. He expertly shuffled his cards and used the right cards to beat them, at least that's what he thought before Eiza came up with an idea.

" Guys, let's jump off," she said, terrifying Jen. Razi laughed and waved his hands in excitement.

" Sky drop!" Razi had his head whacked by Kaya. The snake hit him giving a very big frowning face.

" Basically, that's what we are going to drop," she said. " You know when you fall from a very big height it can kill you? There were cases where people have survived from big heights, although the outcomes weren't so friendly."

" What happened?" Jen asked.

" There was one man who tried riding a dragon. He fell from a height much greater than this and survived. Do you know how he survived?"

" This is no time for questions!" Daniel shouted after throwing up. " We are going to die!"

" Not me," Jen said. " On the way down I can transfer my soul to an inanimate object like a tree branch or one of those dead pirates. After my body falls I can switch back."

" And I am made entirely out of ice," Eiza said. " I can slow down my fall to the point only my legs would be destroyed. I can grow those back sooner or later."

" That's just great! Razi, we are the most useless members of this crew!" Daniel exclaimed. " That's why we are going to break like eggs."

" Mmm. I love eggs," Razi said licking his lips. Kaya whacked the side of his face with his tail.

" You're both not going to die," Eiza said. " You have an admiral marine like me who can save you. On the count of three I am going to destroy these cards."

" Are you crazy?!" Daniel would clobber Eiza if his motion sickness didn't make him feel so nauseous that his spirit was about to leave his body, kinda like how Jen's soul left his body.

" You three…I know I am not the person you'd trust the most in this crew. I tried to hurt your friend Jane."

" Jane's not really our friend," Jen said, " so it's okay to hurt her."

" There are so many things I want to tell you and I probably should because I'll get to know a lot about you in this voyage. I know it's just this good spirit in my heart that's making me say this, but I would never want to hurt any of you. I'll go down with you guys together if my plan fails, and maybe I'll get to see my father again in heaven or hell. I don't really know where he went when he died. He wasn't really a bad guy, but he still acted like Daniel's father. Oops. No offense, Daniel."

" Don't worry about it. My father barely spent any attention on me. He only showed up once a year to be with me and that was just so we could go fishing. But what the hell, anything is better than this motion sickness, falling, dying, anything."

" I trust Eiza," Jen said, slightly smiling. " She can survive the fall from this height. If she wanted us to die she could've not said anything and we would all die."

" I have trust in my nakama," Razi said.

" Thank you all," Eiza said innocently. " There's one thing that has to happen though."

" What's that?" Daniel asked.

" Falling. Ice Wheel!"

Using her ice powers Eiza created a giant wheel with spikes sticking out of the end. The wheel shredded the cards. She made quick work of the cards and they fell to the ground. Razi and Jen were comically holding each other and crying and Kaya was wrapped around them. Eiza was falling with her hands out and ice in her hand.

Daniel showed his fear in an abrasive manner. "That's it! If I'm dying than I'm beheading this ice witch!" Daniel exclaimed, unsheathing both his swords and holding them like scissors to slice Eiza's head off.

"This is all part of the plan," she said. "Before we hit the bottom I want you to close your eyes. Your rectums will face an impact. Ice Pike!"

Eiza sprayed the ground with her ice powers. The ground, covered in ice, was full of spikes and one giant hill. Eiza used her powers to create ice skates on her feet. She twirled around spraying ice to slow down her landing, landed perfectly on the hill. She skated like she was at an ice rink, jumping and doing twirls before she was back inside Casterwill's home.

"Ahahaha!" Marco laughed evilly at Eiza. "Very nice tricks, woman. I love the part where you trick your friends into thinking they're going to land safely when in actuality they are going to be pirates on a frozen stick."

Eiza smiled. She was sometimes mean to her friends, but would never kill them. " I told them their rectums will face an impact. Take a guess what that means, card-boy."

Marco heard people yelling in agony from somewhere close by. He looked up. His eyes widened from what he saw. Razi, Jen, and Daniel had large spikes up their rear ends. Their butts landed on Eiza's ice pike. The ice in their butts started to shrink until they were safely back on the ground.

" Eiza, a warning would have been nice!" Daniel yelled rubbing his butt.

" I may be dead but even that stung like hell," Jen said rubbing his butt.

" Let's do that again!"Razi yelled, he felt a sudden pain in his buttocks. " But not right now. My butt is sore."

" Sorry," Eiza apologized, not that it changed the fact that they were still in pain. " I thought it would be better if I didn't tell you what would happen so you wouldn't imagine how much it hurts."

" It's okay Eiza. We are all still alive and we won't fall for this guy's tricks ever—" Jen was hit by a whole deck of large cards pushing him into the wall. Marco used an attack without waiting for Jen to finish. " I'm okay," Jen said behind the cards.

"Jen!" Eiza shouted in surprise, before she turned back to glare at Marco with an icy stare. Suddenly, the girl used her powers again, creating an ice sabre in her hand. The sharp edge of the ice sword glistened in the light.

"Let's go!" Razi shouted and his crew all charged towards the card user.

"Like I'll let you!" Marco yelled and sent more cards flying that way. The diamond symbols came out of the cards, setting themselves in the pirates' way like mines. They exploded as soon as the crew came near but it didn't work this time. Jen pulled out his guns and shot into the explosive diamonds before even getting close to them. The symbols exploded, while the crew was still far away from them. Razi and the others jumped from side to side, avoiding the consecutive explosions, neither hurting them. "Fine, then take this!" The card user yelled, creating spade arrows and sending them towards the pirates. However, Daniel easily cut through that attack with his two swords while Eiza created a shield of ice to block the shuriken-like cards that flew towards them next. The crew of the Wolf-Fang Razi seemed unstoppable as they charged towards Marco.

It actually made Casterwill's executive worry as a single drop of cold sweat trickled down his brow.

They almost reached him, certain in their victory now, but the card user surprised them. He held more cards in the hand hidden behind his back and threw them in the air just as the crew was upon him. The cards created another one of those giant shapes, this time turning into six large flower vines. They moved around with, grabbing everything in sight.

"Whoa, what's that!? Vines?" Jen exclaimed and tried to jump backwards but the thing caught his ankle and rose him high in the air.

"Waaah!" Razi had the same problem. He tried to punch and kick at the card vines but they entangled around both his arms and legs, subduing him.

Daniel cut through the attacking cards, but there were just too many of them. The more he cut the more came after him. One grabbed his wrist and he listed his other arm to use his sword and cut the card vine off him but his other arm was grabbed too. "Bastards…" He cursed under his breath as the cards continued to entangle around him, lifting him in the air. His red katana fell from his grip and clattered on the ground while he managed to hold his grip on the purple one. Even so, he could barely move his arms.

Soon, everyone including Razi's snake Kaya were restrained by the card flowers.

Marco laughed in satisfaction as he slowly walked over to the struggling pirates. "Kyahaha. You fought well…but now it's time to finish this," his expression went serious as he presented them with his deck of cards. The card suddenly flew towards them, their sharp edges cutting them all over the body. The crew could feel the hot stinging of each card that hit them. The cards swirled in the air and created one long row. Their sharp edges were turned towards the pirates, aiming right for their necks. The crew struggled on but with no success. "Die!" Marco shouted gleefully, sending the knifelike cards towards Daniel and Eiza's necks.

Suddenly, Razi started changing shape. A long, large snout filled with sharp teeth grew on his face and his body started shifting, getting paws and sharp claws on them. His bones reformed in his body, as he started hunching. Fur appeared on his body until he was covered in it. The man turned into a complete wolf, much bigger than any regular canine. As his shape changed, the vines didn't hold his whole body anymore and he started sinking toward the ground. Using his newly sharp teeth, the wolf captain bit down on the flower cards around him, shredding them to pieces. In a matter of seconds he was freed and falling down, landing easily on all fours. He then lunged towards the others, biting down into all the cards and tore through them, freeing Danial, Eiza and the others. The crew jumped down on the ground, with only Jen landing ungracefully on his ass instead. The man yowled in pain and rubbed his butt as she stood up. The cards that were going for Daniel and Eiza's necks flew above them, where the pirates were just seconds ago, and stuck into the stone wall behind them.

"Fhew, that was close," Jen wiped the sweat of his brown, sighing in relief.

"Thanks Razi," the swordsman smirked to the wolf who only have him a happy growl in return.

Eiza glared back at the card user. "Let's get this guy."

Kaya hissed in agreement while the others nodded.

"Cards, come back!" Marco suddenly yelled and all the cards that were still whole started flying over the crew and returning back to their master.

"He's planning something, keep your guard up guys!" Eiza warned, seeing the cards dance around Marco, creating a new shape. They moved and connected until a large drill was created. The drill didn't only look dangerous, but the cards actually started moving in circles, making the whole drill alive.

Jen suddenly jumped in front of his nakama and started shooting the drill, but it was no use. The cards were so hard, the bullets simply repelled from them.

Marco grinned at the shooter's futile attempts, finding his first target. He sent the large drill at Jen, and it started flying over towards him with the spinning sharp tip aimed at the young man. Seeing that, the others try and help Jen by charging at the drill to try and stop it, with Razi in the lead.

The captain used his animal abilities, straining his muscles to the maximum and running towards the drill. He was already opening his large maws to try and break the cards. Suddenly, Razi felt a strong kick in his ribs, which sent him flying into a nearby wall. He felt the air rushing out of his lungs with the hit and the wolf gasped in surprise. Landing before him was the monkey-looking zoan user from before, glaring at the wolf captain.

Mindy waked over to Razi, clenching her fists. "There won't be anyone to save you this time," she said darkly.

"You!" Razi shouted in his wolf form, staring at the girl for the longest time. "…..what was your name again?"

"It's Mindy!" The monkey girl screamed in irritation. She was forgotten so easily even though they only met a few hours ago; how simpleminded _was_ this pirate!? The girl got annoyed but managed to restrain herself and returned back to her cold self.

"Ah, that's right! Hey, you wanted to burn our ship!" Finally remembering, the wolf captain yelled back in anger.

"Tch, I'll do more than that this time. I'll kill you all," Mindy answered and cracked her fingers one by one. Then she grabbed something from her pocket; a small yellow ball. She ate it, breaking the crunchy thing with her teeth. "Rumble ball!" Only moments later, the girl started to change. Her body grew larger, with her muscles getting stronger and thicker. Her whole built looked more toned and dangerous now as even the teeth in her mouth grew, getting sharper. She growled as razor-sharp claws protruded from her fingers. Rather than a mere monkey, she looked like a complete beast now. She was at least double in size than before.

"Whoa, how did you do that!?" Razi actually looked impressed by her transformation, as if he wasn't sensing the danger behind it.

"Idiot, don't be impressed by the enemy, do something!" Daniel yelled back at his captain, reprimanding him.

Razi growled sheepishly and Daniel could just imagine that his captain would be scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly if he was in his human form. The swordsman sweat-dropped at the thought, once again deciding his captain was an idiot.

"If you're done, I would like to go back to killing you now. There's no way you can beat me in this form, I'll stronger than all of you!" Mindy hissed, showing her large maws.

"Heh, not stronger than _anyone_, girly. I'm still here and I'll be the one to kill them all. You just stay back and watch!" The card user manipulated his cards and once again sent the large drill towards Jen.

*_What do I do? The bullets aren't working and this thing is too large to dodge! I'm done for!*_ Jen thought as he gulped, staring at the approaching drill of cards.

Suddenly cannonballs came flying out of nowhere, whisking above the sniper's head and colliding with the large drill. There weren't only a few cannonballs either, but at least a hundred of them. Jen and the rest could only watch with open mouths as the cannonballs continued to smash into the card drill, creating large explosions. When the smoke finally cleared, making the group chough, they noticed that the dangerous card weapon was completely destroyed. The cards all lay down on the ground, completely torn apart.

However that wasn't the end of the strange scene that kept everyone in utter confusion. A song echoed from outside, slowly getting louder as someone or something approached.

"Don't drink water if you have sake,

don't drink tea, if you have rum!

"Yoho-yoho, girls can drink better than guys

That's why girls make better captains!

I said; why?

Because girls can drink more, they make better captans!

Girs have better aim when sharp shooting a crew of pirates or hunting a sea king!

That's why girls make better pirate captains!

I said; why?

Because girls aim better, they make better pirate captains!"

The song continued with the whole crew of people signing, led by a single voice of a girl. It wasn't long before the said girl with sandy blond hair appeared before Razi and the others. They saw a grinning girl with hands resting on her hips, staring down at them, her hair dancing in the wind behind her.

"Sis!?" Jen suddenly shouted in sheer shock, looking at the newcomer with wide eyes.

"Lucas!" Razi exclaimed, equally surprised by the girl's presence.

The newly arrived pirate captain simply snickered mischievously at the group's surprised faces. "Surprise. It seems you are in need of a rescue, hm?" She teased the pirates. Behind her, her crew appeared and joined her.

"Who are you!? No, never mind, I don't even care anymore. I'll kill you al-" Mindy started, but was unable to finish as she felt a strong punch to her head which sent her flying and landing into the ground. Razi had taken the chance while she was distracted to deliver a hit with both his feet into her face.

However the kick had little effect and she wasn't disoriented for long. Sooner than Razi would want, Mindy was back on her feet. "Rumble ball; Arm pint!" Two new set of arms started growing under her original ones until she had two pair of arms. Those arms looked as big as muscles as the other pair. She clenched all four arms into fists and charged at Razi. Her steps created loud sounds as she ran across the room towards the wolf captain. She had no intention of giving up until he was dead on the ground in the puddle of his own blood.

"Take this!" Mindy tried punching him with all four fists, as she lunged forward. Instead of dodging to the side, Razi leaped forward towards the girl and dived onto the ground. He slid on the stone floor and slipped between Mindy's feet, right under her, until he was safely behind her. „Heh, I have just the thing for big targets like you." Before Mindy realized what was going on, Razi used his caws and pierced her neck with them. "Titan Control Wolf!"

The monkey girl howled in pain and anger, trying to run away from the wolf and his claws. She jumped to the side, scrambling on the floor, but it was already too late. The poison from Razi's claws already entered his system, traveling throughout her body. Her body contracted and twitched in pain as the poison overpowered her. Mindy screamed in agony, feeling the pain travel around her body until all her strength to fight it was gone. Sagging, the girl sighed when the pain finally disappeared. But that's when the real thing started. Suddenly, Mindy stood up and turned without her free will.

"Wha-?" The girl stared at her legs in confusion as they moved on her own. She didn't notice yet that Razi was moving his hands, commanding her body to move. She suddenly charged to the side towards Marco.

"Huh?" That's all the card user managed to say before a large fist hit him and sent him flying. "Urk!" The man felt pain in his stomach where she was hit, spitting some saliva from his mouth in the process. He landed on his back and grunted in pain, sitting up as fast as he could. He held his stomach, which was still burning in pain and looked up to glare at Mindy. "Mindy, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

The monkey girl was already running towards Marco. "But…but…It's not me! I'm not doing this!" She screamed, unable to stop herself as she tried punching Marco again. This time the man dodged by flipping backwards and jumping into the air before landing on his feet. In front of him, where he was sitting just now was a deep crater created by the girl's single punch.

"Hehe," behind them, Razi smirked as she manipulated Mindy to move.

Marco continued to run and dodge the girl's attacks, but Mindy was right on his tail, following his every move. She jumped in the air and landed right in front of Marco, who managed to dodge her punch, but she was already running at him with impressive speed. As she was unable to dodge her next charge, the monkey beast girl ran straight into him, sending him onto the ground with force. She was just about to finish him with four punches of her arms when suddenly she stopped.

"Ah, unfortunately this technique doesn't last that long," Razi sighed in disappointment, shrugging. He has changed into his wolf hybrid form, standing on his wolf hind legs now.

Even though the manipulation finally stopped, Mindy was completely weak and useless now. She slumped to the floor, breathing heavily. "You bastard…don't take me lightly. I still have more power than any of you! You, your crew, that shadow guy, I'll kill all of you! I'm stronger than all of you now!"

"Really? Doesn't look that way to me?" Razi blinked a few times questioningly, tilting his head to the side.

"Shaddup you filthy pirate!" The girl screamed back, returning back to her original human form. She was about to charge at the wolf captain, ignoring the state her body was in, but Marco stopped her as she grabbed her shoulders.

"Let me go!" Mindy shouted at the man angrily.

"Stop it, you can't beat them as you are now. You'll just get yourself killed. Look, they even have backup now. We need to retreat and reorganize," Marco suggested in a much calmer state than she was.

For a while longer, Mindy struggled, but in her weakened state, the card user easily restrained her, taking her by the hip with one hand and creating a large card for them to fly off on with the other.

"We won't let you escape!" Eiza's hands glowed as she prepared to use her ice powers to stop them.

However, just as everyone was about to charge at the two, Marco manipulated the cards to create a shield to protect them and sent a rush of cards at the pirates, obstructing their vision and rendering them powerless for a while. Those few moments were enough for Marco and Mindy to fly off through the window and make their escape.

"Dammit all!" Daniel cursed, seeing the two escape, too far gone for the pirates to catch up with them.

"More importantly, what are you doing here?" Jen turned towards his sister and stared at her with a puzzled expression.

Lucas stared at the black, tall man who stunk of booze. "Who are you?"

"Eh!?" At first Jen was surprised that his own sister didn't recognize him, but then he remembered he had taken over a different body. "Ah, right. It's Jen," he pointed at himself. "Your brother, Jen! I used my devil fruit to switch my body."

Lucas scrunched up her nose. "And you chose this one…?" It seemed she wasn't really impressed by the human before her.

"Hey, it's a strong body!" Jen defended himself. "Besides, I didn't have much of a choice…" He sighed, remembering that he was stabbed and almost died. He had to switch bodies quick to survive.

"Well, never mind that now." Lucas smirked. "Actually I heard you might be on this island and went to check it out. As guessed, you're in some kind of trouble again, aren't you?"

Jen gave her a sheepish smile, "Yeah well…a bit. Actually, they took Momo," he answered, with a more serious face now.

"Momo? I'm surprised…isn't he pretty strong?" Lucas tilted her head to the side questioningly.

"Yes, but some guy managed to capture him…Tch, I bet he used some dirty trick!" Daniel joined in the conversation.

Lucas stared at the swordsman for a while, silent. "Oh, it's the women-hater…so you're still here," she finally said, sounding disappointed.

"What's with that look, it's really pissing me off!" Daniel shouted back, glaring at the pirate captain girl. "Honestly, girls are way too annoying," he muttered under his breath, but the girl still heard him.

"And with that you prove my point," she simply answered, shrugging.

The white haired boy growled at her, red in the face from irritation, but Lucas completely ignored him as she turned back to look at Razi and her brother. "So, what can we do to help? Honestly, we've been a bit bored lately and itching for a good fight." The crew behind her cheered with approval at their captain's words.

"Well, as we said, they took Momo and we have to get him back. Also, Jane just flew off somewhere," Jen sighed.

His sister frowned. "Who's _they_ exactly?"

"A guy by the name of Casterwill. We don't know much about him either, but his friend took Momo and they're holding him somewhere in this castle," Daniel explained.

"Casterwill!?" Lucas' expression completely changed as she paled. "You mean the Shichibukai?!"

"Yeah… I think he was, " Razi scratching his wolf ear, which reminded him he was still in his hybrid wolf form. The captain turned back to his human self.

"Razi….I suggest you give this up, right now. Don't go after Casterwill," Lucas' tone was completely different now; serious and dark. There was no sign of her smile from before.

"Is he _that_ dangerous?" Razi frowned in question.

"Yeah...he is," Jen's sister replied simply.

"Razi, don't forget we still need to get to Alabasta in ten days," Eiza reminded her captain, walking over to them.

"Alabasta?" A new voice came from behind them. A woman walked out of Lucas' crew. She had short black hair and forest green eyes with a pale complexion. She was tall and slim, wearing simple clothing consisting of leather pants, knee-high boots and a white blouse.

"Oh, Mia, it's you."

"Eh, I don't remember her…a new crewmember?" Jen blinked a few times, staring at the newcomer with interest. He didn't remember her when he was in the pirate crew together with Lucas.

His sister grinned. "Yep and she's a devil fruit user too. It's a hayai hayai no Mi, a paramecia devil fruit that allows her to speed things up considerably. We were here in a matter of minutes, after I heard you guys were on this island. She managed to speed the whole ship up to the point where it only left afterimages behind." Lucas said with pride in her voice, as if she was the one with this ability.

"And it seems I'm exactly what you need to get in Alabasta in time," Mia answered, smirking at Razi and the others.

"You'll help us!? Really?" The wolf captain grinned widely from happiness.

"I just told you we would!" Lucas smacked him over the head since she felt he wasn't even listening to her.

"But what about Momo! We need to get him first!" Daniel exclaimed, not wanting to leave his nakama behind.

"And Jane," Razi added.

"Jane's probably long gone, just forget about her," Daniel scoffed.

"Who's long gone?" A new voice surprised them all as two shadows appeared from the exit, walking slowly towards them. Both Momo and Jane suddenly came out of the darkness, both looking beaten and injured, but thankfully alive.

"Momo!" Daniel shouted in relief, seeing his green-skinned friend.

"Jane! I knew you wouldn't abandon us!" the wolf captain smiled at the skypiean woman.

"Tch, don't get ahead of yourself…I just happened to stumble upon Momo and save him…I had my own reason too," the woman defended herself, frowning at the smiling face of the young captain.

"How did you escape?" Eiza ran up to the two, looking at the fishman and the skypiean.

"Leave that for later. It's better that we hurry before that Casterwill guy appears here. Come on!" Lucas announced, signaling for everyone to follow them. "We're heading for Alabasta!"

X_X_X_X_X

"You failed me…" A person was staring outside the window at the horizon. The sun was slowly setting, painting the sky with blood red and orange colors.

"I won't fail next time! We'll kill them for sure!" Mindy exclaimed, but felt fear creep up inside her at the person standing before her with his back turned to her. It only made her more anxious, not knowing what expression Casterwill had on his face. Will he kill them right here and now because of their failure?

"Kross died and Eden betrayed us…well, he'll be taken care of. I already sent some men after him," Casterwill said calmly, holding his hands entwined on his back.

Mindy shivered at the thought. Even Marco gulped beside her. "I was close to beating them…they won't escape next time," the card user answered.

Casterwill turned his head only slightly to the side, looking at his two subordinates with the corner of his eyes. "They better not…for your sake," even though his voice was completely calm, his tone was ice cold. It gave the two chills. "Don't fail me again, because there won't be a next time," the man finished with a clear warning.

"I'm going too…Momo escaped but I'm not done with him. I won't be satisfied until he dies in suffering," Gero walked out of the shadow, glaring at the simple thought of the fishman.

"Patience, Gero. All in due time," Casterwill finally turned towards his subordinates with a smirk, showing his face. It was the same face of the boy who mysteriously appeared on Razi's ship and saved them from the assassin Ami.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, BloodyMarryMe here! This time I'm starting the chapter. As you already now, it was written in collaboration with 4fireking, though all characters and plot belongs to him. I hope you enjoy reading this! If you have any comments, please review. Have fun!**

**CHAPTER 13**

In Alabasta, the streets were deserted. Everyone was either in house arrest or dead, the blood of the people still fresh on the street grounds. It was eerily quiet, with a tense atmosphere thick in the air. Alabasta had been conquered.

The royal family and everyone from the palace were currently being held in their own palace prison. The cells, located in the basement of the palace, were now filled with frightened people. The basement was dark and gloomy, while the air was cold and wet, creating mold on the filthy walls. Sounds of cries and whimpers would sometimes echo through the air, followed by frightened hushing sounds from the other prisoners.

In one of those cells was Vivi, holding a crying child in her arms; a child who had already lost their parents to this war. The queen was surrounded by her servants, who usually lived in the palace, and were now taken away to the cells just like everyone else. Royalty, servants, guards…the title didn't matter anymore. They were all in this boat together now.

Seeing the tired faces of her people, queen Vivi was determined to do something. To lift up their spirits and moral with them. She stood up, trying to get the attention of the people around her. It wasn't hard since the place was so quiet, every sound echoed throughout the prison. "Everyone, please listen to me!" Vivi started, seeing some of the people turn their heads towards her with questioning gazes. "Don't lose hope! We will get through this!"

"But how…? There's nothing we can do? Who can save us?!" A woman asked, shaking her head in disbelief of Vivi's words.

"We endured when the longest drought hit us, lasting for years! We survived when the Shichibukai Crocodile tried to take over the throne and kill the royal family! We survived the civil war that started with the rebels! If we could endure and survive all that, then we will also survive this… just like any other crises that hit us in the past!" There was strength and determination in the queen's voice; something that could only be gained through courage and experience. "You followed my father the King, now I ask you to believe in me just as you did with him! I will get us through this…I promise!" Vivi's face brightened up a bit when she saw new-found hope in the eyes staring back at her. Some people were nodding in agreement now, while others wiped their tears and smiled at the beloved queen.

"Gyahahaha!" Suddenly, a loud laugh ripped through the atmosphere.

"What's with all this ruckus here?!" Another voice, deeper than the previous one, added.

Two pirates who were standing guard at the beginning of the prison came strolling down to Vivi's cell. Just like everyone else, they must've heard Vivi's speech and went to stop the ruckus it was causing. It was risky for prisoners to have high morals; it's dangerous and can cause a mutiny. It had to be extinguished immediately.

"Did ya hear that? Lil queenie thinks she can save the kingdom! Gyahaha!" The first pirate came to the cell and stared at the blue-haired woman with amused eyes. He was still chuckling, as if he just heard a hilarious joke.

However, the queen was far from discouraged. Instead, she walked over to the cell bars that separated her from the pirates and stared at them with contempt and her head held high. "What do you know about it, thugs?! We _will_ survive you, just as we did all the other misfortunes that came upon us so far," there was a challenge in her eyes.

The second pirate who was much quieter than his comrade, suddenly took out a metal baton and hit the bars hard, creating a loud noise that echoed throughout the basement. Even Vivi was surprised, instinctively jumping backwards to safety. "There will be no such talk in my prisoner, while I'm on guard," he warned with a menacing look. He was short and bulky; a complete opposite to the other pirate who was thin and tall. The short one kept a dark, serious expression on his face, with his growling deep voice, while the other had much a higher pitch to his voice and kept grinning with eyes wide open like a madman.

When the pirate hit the bars, everyone screamed or jump in fright; some even calling for their queen. Gulping, Vivi composed herself and stepped forward once more. She was brave because she doubted these thugs would kill her; if they wanted her dead, they'd have done it a long time ago. That meant, they obviously still needed her alive. "You just say that because you're scared. Because you know there's no way you can win this and keep Alabasta in your hands. Many tried before you and they all failed…and so will you," she hissed at them angrily.

The tall pirates suddenly narrowed his eyes, still carrying that wide grin on his face. With that expression, he looked like a snake ready to swallow its prey. "Ya really think ya can save yer kingdom? Just look at ya," he gestured at the queen. Her robes were dirty and ragged by now, with dust and filth on her beautiful face. Even so, her actions and how she held herself showed that she was royalty even as she walked around looking like a pauper. The woman narrowed her eyes in anger at his words. "Ya can't save anyone! Ya'll rot here and be used as boss pleases, and there's nothin' ya can do 'bout it," the pirate grinned. "Ya are a weak lil' girly, that's what ya are. Nothin' more. Comparin' yaself tha King Cobra? Don't make me laugh, girly! Gyahaha!" The man laughed loudly again, his words slowly deflating the high atmosphere that arose around the people because of Vivi's pervious speech. The reality of the situation was slowly sinking in and more and more the people understood they won't be saved by anyone.

Even Vivi's determination started faltering as she watched the sneering pirates with mixed emotions of anger and helplessness. They were mocking her, her father, her people…the whole kingdom! She clenched her hands into fists at her sides. She wanted to punch these villains so hard; alas the bars separating her from her freedom wouldn't let her have that satisfaction.

"That's enough," another voice, cold and calm, came from the shadows.

Vivi blinked in surprise at the newcomer, while the two pirates stiffened immediately. With fear, they both turned around to stare at the man who just appeared out of the shadows behind them.

"U-umbrage, why are you here?" The tall pirate stuttered while asking.

The pale man before them simply narrowed his yellow eyes, giving them a chilling stare. "That's really none of your business. More importantly, shouldn't you be at your position, guarding the prison entrance?"

The shorter pirates gulped in realization. They were so carried away with the queen that they forgot their duty was elsewhere. "R-r-right! We're going right away," the man nodded and quickly ran away, with his tall comrade right behind him.

Umbrage watched them leave in a hurry with a bored expression on his face. "Useless," was all he commented before turning around the leave again.

"Wait!" The queen's voice stopped him in his tracks, making him turn his head sideways a bit, in interest. Vivi stepped closer to the bars, holding them with her hands. "You're not like these thugs who only think about money. Why are you doing this? Why are you working for that man, when you know how destructive he is? He wants to destroy humanity, you know!" She could feel the pressure just by being in Umbrage's presence, but her courage kept her going.

The man before her narrowed her eyes. "I don't care about humanity…humans can just die for all I care. I hate humans anyway," there was no emotion in his voice.

"But-" Vivi wanted to protest, but Umbrage cut her off.

"It was _him_ that took me in when I was starving and half-dead on the streets. Nobody else would, but that Shichibukai did," Umbrage added.

That confession rendered Vivi speechless for a while, but she pulled herself together quickly. "You don't have to live like this anymore. My city was meant for everyone; to protect its citizens. No matter who they are, they can be given a new future! We could take you in too, as one of us," the queen retorted.

That made Umbrage turn to face her, a bit surprised by her words. However, he soon grinned and snickered with amusement. "You really believe that? That anyone in your city would accept me after everything I've done?" A smirk appeared on the man's lips but his gaze darkened. "They you're even more naïve and foolish than I thought, queen Vivi." He stepped closer to the cell, making Vivi step back in response. "You talk about peace and protecting people, but then where were you when I became like this? When I was no longer Umbrage…but only a monster? You don't know anything," he finally hissed dangerously, before turning his back on the queen and disappearing into the shadows.

X_X_X_X_X_X

"Whooo, Daniel, look at meeee!" Razi was shouting from his position as he sat at the bow of the ship, flailing his arms in the strong wind. Both Razi's and Lucas' ships were sailing through the Grand line with lightning speed due to Mia's devil fruit ability.

The swordsman sighed, staring at his captain. "That idiot's going to fall into the sea. If that happens, I ain't savin' him," he shook his head. He was leaning on the railing of the ship with his hands at the back of his head as he rested.

"Don't worry, I'll jump right in. After all, I am the fastest swimmer here anyway," Momo grinned, pointing his thumb at his chest.

"You should worry about yourself first, you're badly injured, you know!?" Jen reprimanded the fishman, while changing his bandages. Momo was still hurt from his fight with Gero before and even though his healing abilities were better than in humans, it would still take some time for all of it to heal properly.

"Hehe…" The fishman just smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

Right now, Razi's crew was on Lucas' ship; all of them celebrating their reunion with lots of food and drinks for everyone to go around. Meanwhile, Razi's ship was tied to the Aft of Lucas' much bigger vessel, being dragged behind through the water.

"We're almost there, guys!" Lucas shouted as she stood at the helm, navigating the ship and letting the wind rush through her long hair as they sailed. She bore a wide smile on her face, staring at her nakama.

Hearing this, Razi stood up, not minding that he was staring on such a dangerous place while sailing at such speed. He jumped down onto the deck, almost landing on Jen and Momo who had to dodge, as they landed on their backs. "Hey!" They both shouted in unison, but the wolf captain ignored them as he smiled widely.

"You know what this means, guys," Razi started. "Let's party!"

"Whooot!" Lucas nakama shouted in approval and the girl captain smiled cheerfully.

In a matter of minutes, there was music, food and drinks on the large ship. The pirates were laughing and joking around. Some were having drinking contests, while others tried to score some points with the girls in Razi's crew.

The wolf captain suddenly jumped onto a few created they were using as a table and called his pet snake to him. Kaya hissed happily and slithered to him, entangling around his waist and arms. The boa was strong and big enough to crush and suffocate him like this, but Razi felt on fear as she playfully moved around him. The snake gave Razi her tail while curling so to make a shape of a large trumpet. "Watch this everyone!" The captain yelled proudly and started blowing in the snake's tail. In return, Kaya made trumpet noises out of her mouth, as if she was a real instrument.

"Whoa, how is he doing that!?" One of the pirates yelled out in astonishment.

"Razi, you're awesome!" Another guy said, laughing.

Mia also laughed at the sight, along with everyone else before she took another bottle of rum. Around her were numerous men from her crew, lying on the ground unconscious after challenging her to a drinking dual and loosing badly. The woman was slim and petite, but her alcohol tolerance was off the charts. She could drink more than any of them.

Meanwhile, Daniel was having a contest of his own as he finally decided to wake up and join the party. He was having a staring contest with the others, but no one could even come close to defeating him.

"What's with this guy, doesn't he have to blink!?"

"My eyes hurt already!"

The other pirates complained and whined at their loss.

"And look at that fishman, he's sewing like crazy! So fast!" The other group of pirates commented, seeing Momo was easily sewing from the materials before him.

"We're coming towards a winter climate next so I'm sewing mittens for everyone to keep them warm," he explained. He was humming a tune while smiling happily, continuing on with his work.

Some of the men if Lucas' crew even gathered up their courage to try and talk to the two girls in Razi's crew. Unlike the girl's in Lucas' crew who were all already known to them since they spent every day together; these two seemed like mysterious beauties.

However, their optimism didn't last long as they tried to approach Jane, only to wince at her cold stare. "Well, hello th-" one started, trying to talk to her but the woman cut him off before he even got to finish his sentence.

"Don't even bother, loverboy. Actually, the next guy who even thinks of hitting on me can say goodbye to any prospect of having children in the future," saying that, she gave the men a deadly glare, sharpening the scythe in her hands.

Put off by the scary woman, the men turned towards Eiza. She was younger and cuter anyway; or at least that was their excuse to give up on the skypiean woman and turn their attention towards the ice logia. However, the girl was completely still and quiet, only giving them short answers like 'Yes.' and 'No.' What's more, every time the men tried to approach her, suddenly a cold chill would shake their bodies. It was as if the temperature around her was much colder, which perfectly complemented her attitude towards them.

Finally the pirates gave up, feeling depressed by their harsh rejections. "What's with the women in that crew? One was so scary and the other is a an ice queen," they whined with tears in their eyes.

"That's right, you better give up," a girl from their crew shrugged, not actually feeling sorry for them in the least.

While the party was held out on the deck, two siblings were near the railing of the ship, staring at the night horizon while they talked. Jen was standing with his hands in his pockets next to his sister who was casually sitting on the wooden railing.

"So we'll be reaching Alabasta soon?" The brother asked, examining his new body in the reflection of the calm sea below them.

"Yes, it won't take long now. It's good Mia joined our crew, right? Lucky~" Lucas grinned brightly.

Jen snickered at his sister's reactions. "I always wanted to go to Alabasta. I hear one of the Poneglyphs is there. How awesome would it be to read one of the Rio Poneglyph, that only one of Pirate King's nakama, Nico Robin, could read," he added in excitement.

"I wouldn't mention that around to people, Jen. You never know who could be listening and you know how the government feels about those who can read those stone blocks. They're still trying to get their hands on those ancient weapons," Lucas retorted with a tired sigh. A movement caught her eye when one of her nakama walked next to the railing and started opening his fly. He was already piss drunk and was about to nonchalantly take a leak overboard in front of her captain.

"Oy, Rory, go do that somewhere else, you drunkard!" The femae captain shouted with irritation at her crewmember.

"Buz *_hic_* capn' Lucaz, *_hic_* tha sea'z been callin' me, gyhehe!" He started laughing at his own stupid joke and stared back down into the water, almost toppling overboard. That's when the pirate saw a dark shadow moving from underneath the ship. He squinted his eyes, trying to see what was moving below them. "Wha?"

Seeing the change in her crewmember, Lucas stood up getting off the railing and got serious instantly. "What is it?"

"There *_hic_* be somethin' inz wata…" The man pointed at the dark shadow that was still passing below their ship. Whatever it was, it had to be huge because the shadow kept traveling below them with speed, yet there was still no end to it.

"What are you talking about, Rory? Are you so drunk, you're hallucinating?" Jen added with a click of his tongue.

Lucas and Jen looked down, following where the pirate was pointing. They saw the same thing; something was definitely below them and it was huge.

The female captain gasped and widened her eyes before turning to look at the crew. They were still loudly talking and laughing, with the music playing around them. Most of them were already drunk or on a good way to becoming so. Some were even lying on the floor of the deck, passed out. The loud noises must've attracted the large sea creature, whatever it was. "Everyone, stop the music and prepare, we've got trouble! All hands able, on deck! To arms!" Lucas gave the orders, shouting at her crew. The urgency in her voice made everyone stop what they were doing and stand up, suddenly alarmed.

However, by that time it was already too late. The ship started rocking from one side to the other, making the crew fall down and slide on the deck. Shouts and surprised yelps were heard all around.

"Everyone, hold on to something! Keep a close eye on devil fruit users in case they fall overboard!" The female captain yelled, as the ship continued to move wildly.

In front of the vessel, water started rising slowly, creating waves that pushed the ship out of the way and backwards.

"Kyaaa!" The girl in Lucas' crew screamed as the ship started moving backwards, pushed by the waves. They screamed even louder when something started rising up from the water and looming over the two pirate ships. A creature rose up from the sea, rising and rising into the air. Its body seemed endless and it kept going for minutes. It had a snake's head with large completely black eyes and a scaly, blue skin that glistened in the moonlight. It appeared wet and slippery. The sea creature before them was so big that the two ships seemed nothing more than little specs. It stared down at them with large eyes. It was enough for it to open its large mouth and it could easily swallow both ships whole.

"A sea king!" Jane yelled with wide eyes, a chill running down her spine.

"It's huge," Daniel gasped in similar shock.

The sea king opened its mouth wide, reveling three rows of sharp teeth. Just one of its teeth was as large as Razi's whole pirate ship.

"What do we do now?" Eiza stared at the humongous thing before them.

Razi, on the other hand, stood up and walked over to the front to examine the creature closer. "Whoa, it's huuuuge!" He grinned excitedly, only to get hit by Jane.

"Don't just stand there being impressed, do something! We're about to get eaten!" The skypiean yelled at her dimwit captain.

The sea king didn't wait for their panic to subside. It opened its maws slowly, showing rows of razor sharp teeth. Teeth that could chew their ship in seconds.

"All hands on deck! Fire at will!" Lucas yelled to her crew, giving orders. The men and women in the crew started firing their guns, but they didn't seem to have any effect other than angering the large monster further.

It rushed towards their ships, ready to swallow them whole.

"Mia!" The woman captain yelled to the girl in her crew.

"I'm on it!" As if already knowing what to do, the petite woman acted. She called out her powers, making her hand glow a bright yellow before she touched the deck of the ship. Meanwhile, Lucas ran to the rudder and turned a sharp left. Usually the ship would take some time for it to move, but combined with Mia's devil fruit powers, it dodged swiftly and turned left. The sea creature missed, splashing the water everywhere as its head dived into the sea. The waves pushed the vessel further away, rocking it fiercely on the new waves. Lucas' ship didn't stop as it kept going away from the creature with high speed, pulling Razi's ship behind it. However, the sea king had no intention to give up either. It dived into the water and started chasing after the pirates, easily moving through the sea. It was incredibly fast and didn't have any problems catching up to the pirates, even with Mia's powers that pushed the ship onwards.

"It's gaining on us!" Jen shouted from the stern of the ship as he kept track of the large creature swimming behind them. It was only a matter of seconds before it reached Razi's ship, which was being pulled by the larger pirate ship they were currently boarded on.

Trying to slow it down, Jen took out both of his guns, aimed at the creature's eyes and fired. The bullets exploded right in front of the monster's face and thick, black mass similar to ink came out splashing into the sea king's eyes. The creature roared as it was momentarily blinded, and dived back into the sea, disappearing from their sight. Suddenly everything became eerily quiet.

"What? Is it gone?" Eiza asked, leaning over the railing to see the suddenly calm waters behind them.

"Nice going Jen, you scared it away!" Momo grinned, patting the gunman on the back.

However, while the pirates cheered, one person didn't look as pleased. Razi had a complicated expression on his face as he frowned. Somehow, he wasn't convinced that they were saved so easily. "Be careful guys….something's not right," he warned the others in a slightly darker tone than usual.

"What do you mean," Daniel asked. The ships were still speeding, hightailing from the site and hopefully far away from the beast. "Is it still following us?"

As if answering his questions, suddenly the water rose up in the air like a geyser, splashing sea everywhere. The deck was completely drenched and flooded, as the water spilled back into the sea. Before them, right on their tail was the sea monster from earlier. It screeched loudly in anger, making the pirates put hands over their ears to muffle the high-pitched noise.

"Dammit, I knew it wouldn't be so easy!" Jen clicked her tongue in annoyance, and prepared her large scythe. "I guess there's no choice…you guys are useless, so I'll do it," she opened her large wings and set off the ground with a few flaps.

"Jane, distract the creature for a while. I have a plan!" Eiza yelled back at the skypiean.

Jane clicked her tongue again, "Tch, don't use me as bait…" Despite her words, she flew over to the large sea king, trying to attack it with her scythe. The creature couldn't see much because of the ink over its eyes, but it could still hear her. It followed the sounds of her flapping wings, trying to bite at her and swallow her. However, the woman continued to circle around it expertly, avoiding each attack from the monster.

Meanwhile, Eiza started using her ice powers, as she used cold air to freeze the sea around the creature. The sea monster, too involved with attacking Jane, didn't notice as Eiza slowly started freezing the sea around it, trapping it and constricting its movement. Little by little, the ice started creeping up on the creature, connecting to the ice below and disabling the creature from running away.

"Ha! Piece of cake!" Jane shouted and was just about to attack with her scythe towards the monster's eyes, but she didn't notice the tail of the sea monster that was quickly nearing from behind her.

"Jane, watch out!" Momo tried to warn her as he noticed, but it was already too late.

The sea king slammed Jane with its tail, sending her into the depths of the sea.

"Kyaa!" The skypiean shouted in surprise and pain, as she was sent into the sea like a swatted fly.

"Jane!" Momo instantly dived into the sea after her, searching the dark depths for the woman. He soon noticed her unconscious body, falling deeper into the water. With his quick swimming, it didn't take him long to reach her, and grab her by the waist, pulling her back up. With a sigh of relief, Momo resurfaced next to their ship, still holding the barely conscious Jane in his arm.

"U-un…wha-?" As Jane started waking up, she looked around groggily. She seemed confused as she realized she was in the water. The woman blinked her confusion away and was replaced by an angry look towards the fishman. "Why are you holding me? Let me go already!"

"Ah, but I saved you, you almost drowned! The sea king attacked you," the fishman explained angrily since he's the woman was reacting so rudely to him helping her.

The explanation seemed to make Jane remember what happened and suddenly her expression darkened even more. Her eyes were red with anger as she hissed through her teeth. "That bastard fish! How dare that monster almost drown me! I'll kill it! I'll fry it to death!"

Momo realized what Jane was about to do as her whole form started glowing a light blue color, small sparks of electricity coursing through her body. He widened his eyes at the realization. "E-eh? W-wait, wait, Jane!" He tried to stop her, but it was already too late. The woman sent out a strong course of electricity with her powers. Even though the attack was aimed at the sea king, since they were in the water, the whole radius around them was affected by the strong electrical current. Being an electric devil fruit user, Jane's powers didn't affect her, but Momo wasn't as lucky. "Gyaaahh!" The fishman wailed as he was hit by the shock attack as well.

Meanwhile, Eiza finished freezing the lower half of the monster's body that was connected with the sea. There was a whole mountain of ice around it, prevent the creature from escaping. It moved its head around, trying to break free. The strong movements chipped away at the ice little by little, destroying it and Eiza knew her ice wouldn't last much longer.

However, just then Jane's electrical shock came at the right time. It hit the beast in the water, frying it completely until it was charred. As large and strong as the sea king was, even it couldn't match electricity in the water. It growled in pain, as the electrical current surged through it painfully.

"Now's our chance, come on, Daniel!" Razi put on his gloves while Daniel unsheathed his two katanas. They both charged forward at the creature, running along an icy path that Eiza created for them. It led right towards the creature's snout.

Razi clenched his hand into a tight fist, while Daniel swung both his swords at the same time. Both pirates hit with their attacks in unison, striking at the creature which was already confused and out of it from the previous electrical shock. The sea king growled and fell backwards into the water, unconscious. Even all that wasn't enough to kill such a magnificent beast, but it definitely won't be bothering them anymore.

The wolf captain and his first mate landed back on the ship's deck, taking away their weapons.

"Ah, we finally did it," Jane nodded, hearing the cheers from the other pirates behind them.

"Hey, a little help here?!" Jane's irritated voice came from somewhere near the ship, in the water.

"Ah, right!" The gunman jogged up to the railing, taking a rope with him to toss it overboard for Jane. However, as he looked down, his expression changed. Jane seemed fine, but Momo was floating on his belly in the water, seemingly unconscious. "Eh, Momo? What happened?! Is he alive!?" The gunman pirate panicked.

X_X_X_X

Finally, the crew was all gathered again on the deck of the ship. The doctor of Lucas' crew checked Momo, but luckily the fishman was only unconscious and not dead.

"He's lucky to be sturdier than humans since he's a fishman. If he was a human, that electrical shock would surely have killed him," the doctor said.

All head glared at Jane at that comment, but the skypiean only crossed her arms on her chest and looked away as if pretending to be innocent.

"Guys, look!" Razi stood up and grinned, staring at the horizon. First light was slowly showing far in the distance as the sun started to rise, ending to dark night. There was a swirl of yellow and bright orange colors, with a tint of red mixed into it.

"A sunrise, huh?" Lucas smirked. For a while, everyone became quiet as they simply watched the sun rise, bringing a new day.

"And look, we're here!" Mia pointed at the rocky mountains far up ahead. They were so tall, the crew could see them even now and there didn't seem to be an end to them. "We've reached the Grand Line!"

"Now it's only a matter of time before we reach Alabasta," Razi nodded in contentment.

The two pirate crews cheered, continuing their journey.


	14. Chapter 14

**The following was written by 4fireing and BloodyMarryMe. Sorry it took so long to update. I can't write without BloodMarryMe's wisdom and there were exams Bloody had to finish. But those are finished now. We will wait a few more days before we continue otherwise Bloody might get STCS like another friend of mine. **

CHAPTER 14

After almost losing their boats, crew, and all the food in their storage, the crew continued sailing through the new waters, the Grand Line, and continued with their usual routines. Two of Lucas's men were lazing off on barrels; drinking and watching Daniel practice his swordsmanship. The said swordsman practiced with his arms trapped by two barrel handcuffs and was holding his cursed sword Yoko Rashien. He swung it to the left, swung it to the right, waving his sword around in every direction. They didn't see the point in handcuffing yourself when you wave a sword, but it sure made Daniel happy. His usual sour expression was replaced with a face only a young man could have before he became a real man, still filled with such hope.

The men applauded Daniel after he finished using Yoko was covered in sweat, tired, and was panting on the ground since it was getting increasingly hard to breathe.

That didn't slow him down for long; because Daniel was young and strong he recovered almost instantly and walked to get another sword. Daniel had one small problem.

His swords were currently being used as a bed for Razi's stupid pet, Kaya.

"Get off my swords!" He yelled. Kaya didn't do anything, but continued sleeping on Daniel's swords. Daniel didn't want to touch Kaya. She was scaly, had the skin of a used tissue, and he had a thing for biting someone's hand when they got too close. Daniel didn't stop yelling. "I said get off, Kaya! I hate you! When I get my swords back, the first thing I'm going to use them on is you!"

Kaya didn't like that. She got up and hissed at Daniel. The snake sounded like it wanted to bite him so he grabbed the snake by her neck. They were having a fight like animals trying to eat the each other. Finally, Daniel got mad at the pet snake and squeezed her tightly. In return, Kaya bit Daniel's fingers, trying to make him let go. The snake was big enough to eat Daniel's entire hand, but Kaya was using something called restraint.

"Do you think Snowflake is going to win?" The Lucas pirate put three hundred Beli down; betting that Daniel would win.

The other pirate also put down the money. "Three hundred for the snake."

It seemed neither was going to win. With Daniel's choking and Kaya's biting, Daniel let go of the snake's neck to stop her from biting. Kaya snapped her face out to bite the swordsman. Daniel ducked his head every time the snake took a bite at him. This soon ended with Momo walking between them, pushing Daniel away and grabbing Kaya, to stop them.

"Friends should never fight." He proclaimed. And then Momo was bitten. Kaya was biting his right hand and sinking his teeth inside him. Momo was unharmed by the snake's excessive biting. "You are not a poisonous snake Kaya. Please stop biting me."

The pet snake seemed friendlier with Momo. It was Momo who fed her and talked to her like a normal human being. The reason was because Momo was an animal, just like her.

X_X_X_X_X

Jen was doing something more productive with his time. While everyone was gathered around that boa, Jen was using something called alchemy. His old mixing bowl. He forgot it here in Lucas's ship, but got it back today. He was using the bowl to make new kinds of bullets. Eiza approached him.

"Hi, Jen," she said with a pink face and a very happy smile. "What are you doing?"

"Making new bullets. See the heat under the pot? That's to allow the chemical change in the experiment. When the temperature is right..."

Jen didn't get to finish his sentence. Eiza accidentally created a chilling gust of wind that cooled the burning pot. When the pot turned cold, the chemicals splashed out. Jen's experiment was ruined.

"Sorry," Eiza said grabbing her arms and trying to warm herself up.

"That's okay," Jen said, although the pause in his voice suggested he wasn't taking it so well. "I have only been working on this experiment for...an hour. I can start again. But if it's okay don't go near me this time."

X_X_X_X_X

Jane was being punished for almost turning Momo into fried fish food. Her punishment was to stay in the kitchen, her workplace, and make Razi any ridiculous food he came up with. Jane wished one of them was dog chow, because cooking for this boy is no picnic.

"Can I have two almond bananas on a stick, glazed chicken, chocolate covered raisins, vegetable rice, and fish?" He asked.

"What am I, your servant?" Jane seethed, turning off the flames on the stove. " If you want something to eat, make it yourself."

"Please. You're the only one on this crew who can make something tasty. I'll tell you one of my stories if you agree to cook it."

"I don't like stories; the only thing I listen to is; all your problems can be solved with a lot of money, the end."

"Want to hear my story about a captain who wanted something to eat, but his Skypiean nakama with the electric devil fruit wouldn't listen to him?"

"No. Let me tell you the story about a Skypiean who came to the East Blue, made friends, lost them, became angry, and met a bunch of doofuses who later became her nakama."

"That sounds like a nice story."

"It all started with a little baby Skypiean named...Janet. She was the prettiest one of the Skypiean's, but she had stupid parents. When she was four, her father told everyone a Skypiean can live in Monkey D. Luffy's world. So they banished me here until I turn sixty."

"I thought her name was Janet, Jane."

"It is! Janet was taken in by a church known as the Blood Church. These weren't ordinary priests she lived with. They were a group of bandits who stole from people and got into wars with pirates. But they were nice to Janet so she stayed with them. Then one day, they left Janet all alone and...ended up dead."

Razi was quiet for a while, as if thinking about the story he just heard. A smirk appeared on his face when he answered, "I know this story. The Janet girl became the head of the bandits, and did some bad things, so she lost her group in the end. _However_,-" the captain boy emphasized his words and continued after seeing Jane's guilt-ridden face, "she found a new group of friends and became their nakama. And now they are all together...and they won't leave her," the boy finished with a wide grin.

For a while, the woman stared at him with surprised eyes, unable to say anything. Finally, she scoffed and turned around towards the stove again. "Don't look so smug," even though her comment sounded a bit irritated, the woman had a smirk on her face which she hid from Razi by turning her back to him.

As if knowing this, the pirate captain snickered, but said no more.

Finally, Jane sighed and grabbed the frying pan. "What was that again; two almond bananas on a stick, glazed chicken, chocolate covered raisins, vegetable rice, and fish, right?" The woman repeated the order from earlier perfectly.

With an excited gleam in his eyes, the pirate captain leaned forward on the table, grinning at the Skypiean. "Eh, seriously? I'm getting it!?" He was practically jumping up and down in his chair now, barely able to contain his enthusiasm as he awaited the delicious cooking Jane was about to prepare.

The woman clicked her tongue in annoyance at the hyper boy behind her. "Can't you just wait calmly for once?"

She roasted the fish in the frying pan with one hand while stirring the fried rice with vegetables with the other. The woman was so skilled and quick with her hands, she easily multitasked. Razi was still waiting in the chair behind her, grinning like an idiot as he sang "Food, food~" repeatedly. Little by little, it was starting to get distracting as the boy behind her became louder and more impatient. Jane's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he started playing with the cutlery.

"Would you be calm for just a second!?" Finally losing it, Jane yelled and turned back at the pirate boy. At the same time, her fist slammed down in front of her. The action was almost involuntary and out of reflex as she wanted to slam it at the counter, but accidentally hit the handle of the frying pan instead. The pan was propelled into the air with hot cooking oil splashing everywhere. The fish from the pan flew up and all Jane could do was stare at the sight in despair. "The fish," she exclaimed, frightened to lose such a precious ingredient which was about to fall on the floor.

Just as the fish was about to fall down, Razi suddenly jumped over the table and slid on the floor. He opened his mouth and caught the fish in it, just like a dog. With a large gulp, the pirate ate the fish and swallowed it in one bite. He proceeded to lick his lips in satisfaction, smiling at Jane. "Tasty~ Just as expected from Jane."

The Skypiean, on the other hand, could only stare at the unexpected sight in wonder. She blinked a few times before reaching for a piece of vegetable and throwing it into the air. Just as easily as before, Razi caught it with only his mouth and munched on the food before swallowing it. Jane couldn't help but laugh in amusement at the sight. _'He's just like a dog,_' she thought and proceeded to play with Razi by throwing numerous food in the air. No matter in which direction she would throw it, the captain would easily jump and catch it, saving the ingredient from falling to the ground.

That's when Jane decided to mess with him more and took a red, spicy jalapeño, throwing it into the air. Razi didn't even seen what it was, and gulped it down just like the rest of the ingredients. Only seconds later when the hot feeling started rising from his tongue and traveled all the way down his chest, did he realize something was wrong.

The boy's whole face became bright red, just like the jalapeno he just ate. He started sweating and his eyes went wide at the spicy feeling in his mouth. "Hooooot!" The boy yelled with tears in his eyes, spiting fire out of his mouth.

"Hahahaha!" Jane couldn't help but laugh out loud at the poor boy.

Razi was panting now; "Water, water, water!" He started running around the galley in search for some liquid.

"You mean this?" The woman held up a cup in her hands with a sly smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

The captain grabbed the cup and gulped everything that was in there without even checking it first. What he only found out later was that it was straight, black coffee instead of water in that mug. Razi made a disgusted face and stuck his tongue out, ignoring Jane's loud laughter at his appearance. "Eww, it's bitter! Sugar! Sugar!" He started looking around the counter for a bag of sugar to ease the bitter taste in his mouth.

"Here," Jane handed him a glass jar of something white in it.

Without thinking, Razi brought the jar to his mouth and sipped with a large gulp at the contents, only for his face to get even worse. He had his mouth open with saliva dripping out. "That was…salt! Ugh…it's disgusting!"

The Skypiean laughed once more at the amusing sight. "I could do this all day," she had to brush of a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye. Finally feeling mercy upon the boy, Jane poured him a tall glass of cold, chocolate milk. "There, drink this. It'll help," she smirked and saw Razi grab the glass and pour it down his throat. Finally, he gave out a relieved sigh as his expression relaxed. '_Honestly, he trusts me so easily,'_ the woman thought, feeling somehow content by that fact.

X_X_X_X

Meanwhile, Lucas was hunched upon a wooden table behind the ship's helm, filled with various maps of the Grand Line. She was drawing something with an ink and pen, with a deep frown on her face. "I don't get it…"

One of her men came up the stairs to her and peered at what she was doing with the charts. "What's wrong, captain?"

"Well by looking at these charts and some landmarks in the sea…it seems like we've been going around in circles since this morning? How can that be…?" Lucas frowned again, scratching the back of her head in confusion.

"Isn't that because we don't have a log pose?" A voice came behind them and they both turned around in interest to see Mia standing there.

"A log pose?" The pirate man asked with a titled head.

"Yeah, it's a navigation device with a magnetic needle that points to whichever island is the closest. It's a sort of compass used here in the Grand Line. I read about it before; you have to be prepared before coming into the Grand Line, right?" Mia shrugged as she explained matter-of-factly.

The large pirate turned his head to their captain and he sweat-dropped instantly.

Lucas was sweating, making an awkward face as she guiltily glanced to the side.

'_Captain, you didn't even know that much!?'_ The man screamed in his mind in shock, seeing the obviously guilty face of his captain. And she was in charge of navigating the ship too! However, for his own safety, the pirate pretended not to notice anything as he kept his mouth shut.

"S-so…where can we find this log pose?" Collecting herself, Lucas asked.

Mia put a hand on her chin while thinking. "Hmm…about that…Maybe if we find an inhabited island…?"

"Eh? But we're already lost so how can we find one?! Are we just going to accidentally stumble upon one!?" The pirate captain argued in disbelief.

"I can give you a log pose," suddenly, a fourth voice sounded itself behind the three pirates.

"Ah, great, so he can give us one," the pirate man nodded in satisfaction. "Wait, what!?" The man turned around towards the voice, hearing the unrecognizable person behind them.

The three pirates jumped to the side, away from the suspicious figure which was standing near them. They didn't even notice him until now!

"Umbrage?!" Lucas yelled in shock, pulling out her guns quickly.

The commotion brought attention of the others in the crew, which were on the deck, and soon everyone saw the dark man standing there.

"Why you bastard, you won't scape this time!" Daniel pulled out his sword and rushed towards the enemy. Momo also took out his metal pipe and went to swing at Umbrage. At the same time all the pirates in Lucas' crew pulled out their weapons and rushed forward and up the stairs at the mysterious man.

"Eh, what's with all the yelling out here?" Razi poked out his head in confusion and realized the pirates were attacking someone. It didn't take him long to notice the newcomer and who he was. "Umbrage!" Even he jumped out of the galley, followed by an armed Jane.

Jen left his table where he was practicing alchemy and rushed out with Eiza to meet the rest of them.

Umbrage, on the other hand, didn't look least bit worried that two pirate crews were attacking him simultaneously. Before they could even reach him, the pale man sent a sea of shadows down the deck. The shadows tangled around the people's legs, making them fall to the ground. He bound them all in his shadows easily, keeping them at bay.

"Y-you monster!" The pirates yelled out, struggling to free themselves.

That name made Umbrage narrow his eyes as he recalled painful memories. Once again he was given his confirmation that the whole world thought the same; that he was a monster. They were all afraid of him. Only his master was kind. Only his master could tolerate his existence. He could feel anger boil in his stomach, but the feeling was abruptly interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey, let them go!" Razi shouted as he finally came out of the galley. He looked fatter than usual, with his stomach protruding from underneath his shirt. Still, there was decisive anger in his voice as he saw his nakama in a predicament. "Ah, Umbrage, so it is you," he said naturally as if meeting an old acquaintance he just recognized. It made the other man slightly confused, seeing the boy so nonchalant about his appearance. "I just ate a whole bunch of snacks so I'm a bit tired…but if you want a fight, I'll give you one!" He started putting on his armored gloves.

Umbrage soon got over his wonder and scoffed at the young pirate instead. "Enough, I'm not here to fight you." he suddenly pulled out something from his clothes and tossed it to Razi; it was a log pose. The needle was already pointing towards the closest island with the magnetic field. "If you want to fight, just follow this compass. It will lead you to an island where you can find us," the man explained.

"It must be a trick, Razi, just break it!" Daniel shouted, still cutting at the annoying shadows which surrounded him.

Razi hummed in interest at the object in front of him. "But we also need the log pose to sail the Grand Line. We'll accept it," the wolf captain finally decided.

Umbrage smirked, already expecting that answer from the young pirate captain. The boy had some brains after all, and understood his crew's position. They needed a log pose even if it will lead them to a trap. "We will meet again soon…Wolf-Fang Razi," with those words, Umbrage disappeared into a swirl of shadows, every trace of his presence gone. The shadows holding down the pirates also disappeared, freeing the crew.

"So we're really going, huh?" Jen scratched the back of his head. There was still doubt in his eyes.

"There's no other choice, anyway," Lucas shrugged. "I'll set the new course and follow the log pose," she announced, navigating the ship.

X_X_X_X

The first thing the pirates could see when an island appeared on the horizon was a large green jungle, surrounding two enormous white mountains which also had layers of greenery on top of them. From the distance, in front of the mountains were three large volcanoes.

"Land Ahoy!" One of Lucas' pirates yelled from the crow's nest when they noticed the island.

"We're here!" Momo jumped up and down on the railing in excitement of yet another adventure.

"Just keep your eyes open and your guard up. Don't forget Umbrage's men are also on this island," Jane warned with a scowl.

"Feh, if they dare to oppose us, I'll just slice 'em up!" Daniel exclaimed, swinging around his Yoko Rashien.

"I have my new bullets ready! Can't wait to try them out!" Jen commented with a smirk, swirling the two pistols on each index finger before putting them back in the holsters on his sides.

"And in case someone tries to hurt you again, I'll protect you Jen," Eiza added, as cold air appeared around her suddenly.

Razi grinned as he felt excitement running through his veins. His pet snake hissed happily beside him and coiled around his leg. "The first island in the Grand Line, huh? Our adventure starts here," he jumped off the ship which docked on the shoreline of the island. His crew followed close behind.

"Come on, men. We'll explore the island," Lucas ordered, picking out two teams of five men to head in opposite direction and explore the island. Just then, she saw that Razi and his crew were already heading inside the jungle, not listening to her at all. A vein popped on her head in annoyance. "Oy, you lot, don't go off on your own!" However, they were too far away to hear her.

"Oh my…" Mia commented in a collected tone behind her captain.

"What's wrong Mia?" Lucas turned to look at the slightly worried girl.

"Well it's just…I think I read about this island before. I recognized the two white mountains from the picture of the island I saw in a book before. Those aren't actually mountains, you see, they're skulls of two sea kings. It's called Little Garden; it's a prehistoric type of island," she answered.

"Pre-what island?" Lucas tilted her head to the side and frowned in puzzlement.

"Prehistoric. It's from another era. Basically there are two things on this island that I forgot to warn them about," Mia continued. "Dinosaurs and giants," she finally said.

The captain's eyes widened in shock as she yelled out. "What?!"


	15. Chapter 15

**This is a double chapter made by 4fireking and BloodyMarryMe. It has a few mistakes in it so be sure to read it carefully. And please enjoy. Some mistakes were changed but some still exist. Sorry to the last person who reviewed. **

CHAPTER 15

The crew treated this Prehistoric island more as a beach than a place where dinosaurs and giants probably lived. Razi, Daniel, and Jen stripped down and wore bathing suits. They couldn't swim, but one of them could go in the water barely and they were using him for a game. Razi wore red swim shorts with diamonds sewed around it. He got these swim shorts as a gift from one of Lucas's nakama, and Daniel and Jen got theirs from two others. Daniel had green swim shorts that smelled like alligator barf. _'Who threw up on these'_, Daniel thought, keeping that smell locked in his brain. The only thing he could say about his shorts; they looked better than Jen's. Since Jen's body was mostly dead skin and he still smelled like that drunk man he got the worst bathing suit. He was wearing swim shorts with bullet holes and hook holes. He didn't want to know what happened to the man who wore these.

"Just so we are clear, none of us can swim in the water," Daniel warned before continuing, "I'm just going to stay in the part where my feet still touch the bottom and splash water on these two morons. They are going to throw sand at me."

"We already know that, Daniel," Razi answered with a sigh.

"I know. I wasn't talking to you."

"Who were you talking to then?" Jen intervened in the conversation.

"Shut up, it doesn't matter."

Every crew aboard Lucas ship, which were ninety-eight percent men, plus Jen were in for a treat. They finally got to see what Eiza and Jane looked like in bathing suits. There was Eiza in her navy blue swimsuit, smiling brightly and waving to the three boys. Razi waved back to her, while Daniel crossed his arms and looked at the sea, and Jen...

"Oh no."

Jen felt something in his swimsuit that his a-few-days-old body could still feel. Jen was embarrassed to have it. He wish he hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit so he could swim away and hide. Memories of Eiza-her smiling and her sleeping face-flashed in his mind.

"Guys, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Jen said suddenly. " We can't swim and all we will be doing is throwing sand."

"What's the matter, Jen?" Razi asked. "Throwing sand isn't fun anymore? We can throw something else."

How could Jen tell Razi he has an erection? It could make things weird between them. The more he thought about this embarrassing subject, the more his pants seemed to twist. Jen didn't think his devious pants could scare him more than this, but then he saw Jane. She was wearing a black bathing suit that showed a pair of her body parts Jen could never see. She replaced her scythe for a beach ball. To a typical person she was a young Skypien who would never harm a hair on their body...they wouldn't know Jane is fifty, has an attitude that makes her undesirable to everyone, and has killed over one hundred men. He knew she killed that many because she told him.

"Hey Jane," Razi smiled to Jane, she turned away because the sight of him made her sick. "Nice swimsuit."

"Did you get that swimsuit from Jen's sister?" Momo asked.

"No. I bought it from Loguetown after we beat that Marine guy."

"I didn't even know you wanted a bathing suit, Jane," Razi added. " I thought you couldn't swim because of your Devil Fruit."

"I like wearing a bathing suit because...it's none of your business."

The six crewmates of a crew without a name stopped talking and had fun. A little game of throwing sand and splashing water ended quickly. Four Devil Fruit users against Daniel and Momo. It should have been four Devil Fruit users and Daniel against Momo, though. Momo moved underwater, moving super-fast, splashing the four friends with so much water the beach was covered in it. While Momo was underwater he saw the bones of giant fishes. It looked like something ate them.

Daniel, however, wasn't wet. Momo used his move in front of him and avoided splashing him.

Jane and Eiza were shivering in the woods while Razi and Jen left them. Eiza's shoulders were covered in ice from her cold thoughts. Jane was surging with dangerous electricity. Razi and Jen came back wearing their normal day clothes.

"How c-could you l-leave us here all alone?" Eiza asked, chattering her teeth.

"We brought your clothes and towels," Jen answered.

"Her skin is covered in frost and my skin has electricity!" Jane yelled. " How are those going to help us?!"

Jen stood there pondering on that until he took out his guns. Eiza was shocked and Jane thought he was downright crazy. Jen fired both guns at her and she flinched. She heard screams from Jane. When she opened her eyes she saw no bullet holes and she was warm. The heat was coming from her shoulders and circulated through her body. She saw two white spiders heating her shoulders.

"Like it?" Jen asked. " I made it yesterday."

Eiza was given spiders that made her feel warm. Jane, as she saw her, was hugged by Razi in his half form. His hair was poofed out from the electricity. Jane didn't look as if she liked it, but didn't push Razi away because he was keeping her warm.

"Captain Lucas!" A crewmate yelled from the top of the ship. "What is that? There's another ship here!"

Suddenly, everyone's heads were turned to where the pirate was pointing. He was pointing in the direction of another sandy bank, just beyond the one where they were anchored. The pirates on the beach couldn't see the place since there were trees in the way, so they cautiously started walking towards the place. They all had their weapons out, expecting to see Umbrage's men that were said to be on this island. However, what they saw instead surprised them much more than any evil henchman could.

On the other bay, there was a small ship, marooned on the beach. As the pirates came closer, they could examine the peculiar vessel. It had two masts, a big main one and a smaller one in the back. They bought carried large sails, where one was in red and white colors. In front were a single cannon and a head of a white goat, seemingly smiling. The railing and other woodwork on the ship was also white.

Jen and Lucas gasped at the same time, upon seeing the ship in front of them. "This is….it can't be..?"

"What is it?" Daniel glanced between the siblings and the wooden vessel in front.

The two simply ignored them and started running towards the ship.

"Hey, wait up!" Razi called out and went after them, along with the other pirates.

"Do you know this ship?" Jane asked, seeing the still-bewildered faces of Lucas and Jen.

Lucas couldn't pull her eyes away from the unbelievable sight. She reached out and touched the hull of the ship, running her palm across the harsh surface of the wood. "It's just like dad described it…." She finally whispered.

"It's looks pretty beaten up and run down…and charred. It's pretty banged up," her brother added.

"It looks like someone tried to fix it," Eiza commented as she noticed numerous patchwork on the ship. There were metal and wooden boards, practically keeping the whole ship together from falling apart. Some parts of the wood looked charred and burned as if the ship was even on fire at one time.

"But didn't dad say they burned it?" Captain Lucas asked no one in particular, knowing there wasn't anyone here who could answer that question anyway.

"Captain Lucas, what is it?" One of her nakama asked in wonder.

"There's no doubt about it, though. This is the first ship of Monkey D. Luffy…Going Merry!" The captain woman answered, loud enough for all to hear.

"What?! How can that be?" Both crews were shocked beyond belief at that statement.

"This is the ship of the last Pirate King? Cool," Razi could feel excitement rise in his veins by the thought. They came to some prehistoric island and actually found Luffy's old ship! He could already smell the adventure forming on this island and couldn't contain the large grin spreading on his face.

"I don't know either, but she's right. I heard so many tales about it and it looks exactly the same," Jen confirmed Lucas' thoughts. Both he and Lucas grew up listening to Usopp's stories about his adventures on the Going Merry. That ship was so important to Usopp, he constantly talked about it until both Lucas and her adopted brother had a clear image of the ship in their minds.

"But what is it doing here?" Momo tilted his head in question.

"I brought it here," a sudden voice sounded itself from above them. The crew all lifted their heads in surprise, seeing a middle-aged man standing on the ship before them. He was wearing robes made out of cloth and animal pelts. Instead of fur, some were made out of thick skin, which actually belonged to dinosaurs he hunted. He had a thick brown beard which was lightly starting to get first silver hues in it. His hair was equally thick but he kept it tied in a low pony tail which went all the way down to his mid-back. The dinosaur-skin boots on his feet echoed with his every step across the old deck of the Going Merry. There was another sound, coming from the long wooden staff in his hand which the man used as a walking stick. The staff was almost as tall as he was. Still, the most noticeable feature on the weird man were his deep blue eyes, strangely sharp and piercing.

"Ah! It must be one of Umbrage's men! He set up this trap to lure us in and attack us!" Momo exclaimed and prepared his metal pipe. He jumped high in the air and tried to attack the mysterious man by bringing the pipe down towards his head. In an instant, the man suddenly disappeared right before Momo's eyes. Momo landed on the deck, turning around in confusion. Suddenly, the man reappeared before him. He used his staff and kicked one of Momo's legs with it, before lightly pushing him in the back with the tip of the staff. The fishman easily lost his balance and tried to retain it by hopping on his one remaining foot he was standing on, but it was no use. He stumbled forward and ended overboard. "Wah!" With a yelp and a loud splash, Momo ended up in the shallow waters of the beach bellow.

"You bastard! How dare you!" Daniel pulled out his sword, Yoko Rashien, and charged forward, attacking the man. At the same time, Razi, Jen, Lucas, Eiza and Jane did the same.

The man easily blocked the katana with his staff and slid it across the sword. He took a step forward and turned around swiftly, hitting the swordsman in the back. Easily, he sent Daniel flying behind him.

Taking another step to the left, the man dodged Razi's punch swiftly. Razi went crashing into the ship and the boy's head got stuck between two wooden posts of the railing. "Oy, oy, it took me a long time to repair this ship so don't go destroying it now," the man added casually, but his voice sounded more amused than angry.

At that time both Lucas and Jen started shooting their guns at the man. As if able to predict every movement of the bullet, the man moved from side to side, avoiding the barrage of shots. He easily dodged the bullets, but his eyes twitched as Lucas suddenly fired an explosive bullet which created a large fire around the man, enveloping him.

For a while everything was quiet and Lucas sighed, thinking it was finally over. Yet from the fire came the man, swirling his staff around until he created a large gust of wind that blew the fire away along with Jen and Lucas who fell to the ground. The two yelped in surprise, but weren't able to do anything more.

Finally, Jane came at the man with her scythe that surged with electrical powers. At the same time, Eiza had a large fist made of ice as she was about to slam it into the man and freeze him at the same time. The two women came at him from each side, convinced in their superiority as the devil fruit users and their easy victory as they outnumbered him. Unfortunately, they didn't know enough about the man. Just as they were about to land their attacks on him, the man stabbed the staff into the ground and stretched out both his arms towards the incoming women. The scythe that was about to slice through his head was easily stopped by his one hand as she grabbed the blade and held it between his fingers. He was careful not to touch the sharp part but expertly managed to grab it by the flat surface and stop Jane's arms and weapon with just that. He was much stronger than he looked. At the same time, he clenched a fist with his other hand and slammed it into Eiza's ice fist, crushing it to bits. Both girls were momentarily taken by surprise as they were overpowered so easily, letting themselves become open to his next attack. The man used haki, a force strong enough to blast both of the women away from him and into a nearest tree.

In only a few minutes, the whole crew of Wolf Fang Razi was defeated and scattered around on the beach. Even so, none were seriously injured as if the man didn't want to actually hurt them. Seeing the scene left the rest of the Lucas' crew standing in their places, unable to move their feet and attack out of fear of the man before them. One of them gathered up some courage and clutched his axe, ready to rush at the man, but Mia noticed this and stopped him by grabbing onto his arm. Instead, she walked a few paces towards the mysterious newcomer, still cautious of his presence. "Who are you, mister?"

The man smirked, piercing the girl with his sharp eyes. "Finally, someone who wants to talk instead of fight? As you see, I am no threat to you," he answered and nodded his head slightly.

"Hm, I wouldn't say you're no threat…" Mia muttered as she saw her captain and Razi's crew moaning on the ground. Slowly, they started to rise back up.

Daniel managed to help Razi get his head unstuck as he pulled him out, which resulted into Razi falling on top of him. "Oof, get off you idiot!"

"Haha, sorry, Daniel!" Razi grinned, standing back on his feet again, glad to be free.

"So you aren't one of Umbrage's men?" Momo swam back to the shore and looked at the middle-aged man.

The man shook his head. "No, I've been on this island the whole time. I live here," he explained.

"Ooops, my bad then," the fishman smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head as he remembered he was the one who first started calling him Umbrage's henchman and attacked the man.

"Uf, so what are you doing here, old man?" Lucas managed to get up, helping her brother up on his feet as well.

"Old man?" The man repeated the woman's words as if offended. "I am in my prime of youth! I don't look a day over 40!...Ah, even though I'm actually 85," he added with a smirk.

"Eh?! 85!?" The pirates in Lucas' crew all exclaimed in unison.

"Sure. I ate the Waka Waka no Mi, which returned me back to my younger self. It only works once on a target though, but it brought me back to more than half my age," the man laughed.

"So a devil fruit, huh…?" Jen nodded in understanding.

"Hey old man, how come the Going Marry is here?! It should be destroyed!" Lucas questioned further. She was still blunt and fearless, even though the man before her was at least ten times stronger than her.

"I just told you I'm not an old man," the man complained in a whine that didn't really sound his age. "If you want to call me something, then just call me Orios. That is my name, and I am a shaman who guards this place and this ship," he added. "I see you know about Merry…Well that is a long story," he started.

"I want to hear it! A story about the Going Merry's revival!" Razi laughed in excitement, sitting on the white goat head in the front of the ship. Unknown to him, that was the late Pirate King's favorite spot as Monkey D. Luffy often sat there during their travels.

Orios chuckled at the wolf boy. "Alright…Well, then years ago I suffered through a terrible storm which destroyed my ship and the sea took all of my crew. I was the only one who survived and I woke up stranded on this very beach. It took me a long time to get used to this island; I had to learn how to survive and every day there were all kinds of monstrous beasts after me. I had to fight off dinosaurs and survive volcano eruptions. I became stronger and started building my raft. I found a log pose but realized I would never make it to the next island alive…it was too far. I was already too weak and too old by the time I managed to build my raft…but then one day I stumbled upon this strange fruit," he talked on.

"A devil fruit," Jen interrupted, realizing what the man was talking about.

Orios nodded and continued, "After I had eaten it, I became younger and stronger once again. I realized what my powers were soon. But by that time I already took a liking to this island and decided to stay here. I tamed the dinosaurs as they got used to my presence and see me as a being superior to them in strength so they don't attack me anymore. I have a home here now," he gestured behind him at the thick jungle.

"But how did the Merry get here?" Momo tilted his head in confusion.

Suddenly, the shaman smirked and gave a loud whistled. Only seconds later a loud shriek came from the sky. Everyone looked up in wonder to see something gliding through the air.

"What is that!?" Jane yelped, seeing that the beast started flying down towards them.

What they thought was a bird, ended up being an actual Pterodactyl, a dinosaur bird meant to be extinct a long time ago.

"Wow, so there really are dinosaurs on this island," Mia gasped at the sight of a majestic beast. The animal laded next to Orios, bringing up clouds of dust as it flapped its wide wings. With one last screech, it lowered its head down to the shaman who petted its sharp beak.

"I managed to tame this guy and traveled through the sky with him. I went back all the way to Water 7, but I soon realized that I was not accustomed to civilization anymore. I couldn't adjust to the loud noises and greed of humans around me. I missed the peaceful nights of the jungle and the nature around me. Instead, all I saw was noise of busy streets and pavement everywhere I stood. I decided to return to my peaceful life here, but on my way back I saw something marooned on the nearby scrapyard of Water 7. It was in pieces and looked almost completely burned. However I soon realized what it was…I ship we hear about in tails often now; the first ship of the pirate king, the Going Merry. After realizing that, I just couldn't leave it there so I tried to see if I could use my powers on objects as well. I managed to rejuvenate the ship to its earlier, younger state but since it was so old and run down it could only be fixed so much. In the end it was still pretty scrappy, but I just didn't want to leave it, so I hauled it back here with my Pterodactyl friend," ending the story, he patted the bird dinosaur a few times and it gave a happy screech in return. "Now I guard this ship, but since I have no intention of leaving, I have no use for it after all. Instead, I wanted to give it to worthy warriors. Some courageous pirates who could even be measured against the crew of the late Pirate King," with a knowing eye he stared back at the young pirates before him.

"Ah! I'm going to be the next Pirate King!" Razi quickly shouted with a smile.

"Hnnn, is that so?" Amused by the boy's words, Orios gazed back at Razi with his deep blue eyes. "In that case, if you are strong enough to pass the test that shows you are worthy…I will give you this ship. It still needs a shipwright's touch, but it's sailable once more now that I've used my powers on it," Orios answered.

Razi hummed in though with a slight frown on his face. "Nah, that's ok," he refused the offer.

"What?!" His whole crew shouted in unison.

"What do you mean '_Nah'_? Didn't you hear that this is the ship of the legendary Pirate King?" Daniel grabbed Razi by the collar of his shirt and started shaking him.

"But we already have a ship," their captain responded simply.

"Yeah, a much smaller ship! We hardly all fit in there," Jane joined the conversation.

"I want more privacy," Eiza added in a monotone voice.

"Razi, wouldn't it be cool for the next generation of pirates such as us to have the real ship of a _Pirate King_?" Jen added with a grin.

"I like the goat's head in the front!" Momo added his two cents.

"But that's the point…it's the ship of the Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy, it's not our ship. I am not Luffy and you are not his crew, you're my crew. We should have our own ship just like we have our own jolly roger! We shouldn't just follow Luffy's footsteps, we should create our own," Razi explained, still frowning in thought. Somehow, he just didn't like the idea of sailing someone else's ship even if it was the Pirate King's. He wanted his own ship, to sail his own way into his own awaiting adventures. He might have the same goal as Monkey D. Luffy, but he also wanted to become the next Pirate King his own way.

"I get what you mean, but we need to think practical. And practically speaking, the Going Merry is a better ship…though it does need a bit of repairs," Eiza added.

"It's true, Razi. We need a bigger ship," Jen tried convincing the captain once more.

The wolf captain looked at each and every one in his crew. "So you all think the same?" They all nodded their heads together, determined to take the Going Merry. With a sigh, Razi closed his eyes and nodded. "Fine then, let's get this ship,"

"Yaay!" Momo jumped into the air happily and celebrated. The rest of Razi's crew also looked pleased by their captain's decision.

"So you will take the test?" Orios asked to make certain. "I must warn you, however, it won't be an easy one," he added.

Razi smirked, "Don't worry, we can do it. Yeah, we'll take the test!"

"Yeah old man, we'll show you what we're made of!" Daniel smirked with determination and confidence. That expression disappeared as a wooden staff wacked him upside the head. "Ack! Wha-?!" He was about to protest, rubbing his sore head and glaring at the shaman when Orios cut him off.

"I told you not to call me an old man!" Coughing and clearing his throat to regain his composure, Orios continued. "Ehem, well then, let me explain the rules. You will each be given a test you have to pass since _all_ of the crew needs to be worthy. You will all take the tests separately and at different places. So? Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go!" Jen raised his arm in the air and smiled.

"You sure you want to go first…what if it's some kind of trap?" Lucas asked with slightly worried eyes.

"I'll be fine. What about you, will your crew also participate?"

"I think we'll stay here and guard the two ships. We can't forget that Umbrage's men could come at any moment and start a fight," Lucas answered with a matter-of-fact tone.

"In other words, you just want to stay here and get drunk, right?" Daniel answered with a deadpan stare towards the girl captain.

"Shut up, you snow-hair!" The captain woman retaliated.

"Drunkard!"

"Women-hater!"

"Aright, already!" Orios slammed the end of his staff once into the ground, creating a large gust of wind all around them. When the sand settled and the air cleared out, he spoke again. "Let us start this test! Come with me, gunslinger pirate," he gestured for Jen to follow him and started walking towards the jungle.

"Good luck Jen!"

"You can do it!"

His nakama and the pirates in Lucas' crew all cheered as they watched the two disappeared towards the inner part of the dangerous island.

"You think he'll be alright?" Momo asked Jane with a worried gaze.

"Probably not," the Skypiean answered bluntly, too honest as usual.

X_X_X_X_X

Jen felt like they walked for hours as they kept fighting their way through the bushes and trees of the jungle. The plants around him either prickled or entangled around his limbs as he walked. Even though he was bigger than in his previous body, he still had trouble ripping through the plants to make a way for himself. On the other hand, Orios easily walked through as if feeling the plants and knowing how to make his way through the jungle. Sometimes he would help himself by using his staff to lean on.

"Is it far? Where are we going anyway?" Finally, the gunslinger's curiosity won over as he asked.

"Not much longer, boy. We're going back to my house," the man explained.

"That….sounds really creepy," Jen commented cautiously, moving further away from the man.

"I'm not some pervert!" As if reading his mind, Orios responded angrily.

"Okay, okay, just saying," Jen defended with his hands in front of him.

"Anyway, we're here," Orios said as they stepped on a clearing. It was strange seeing a clearing in the middle of the jungle, but the clearing actually seemed man-made. That's when Jen noticed a large wooden house built high up in the trees. It connected two large trees together, as it had wooden boards and branches for walls and a make-shift roof.

"So why are we here?" The pirate sniper asked.

Orios didn't answer but instead walked towards the large tree and jumped up. His jump was so powerful he already reached half of the tree before landing on one of the branches. Easily and only using his feet to jump higher up, the man climbed the tall tree by its branches, using them as steps to leap from. Finally, he stepped on the porch of his home and disappeared inside. Jen could only blink in confusion and wait for something to happen. It didn't take long before Orios came out and jumped down on the clearing right in front of Jen, unaffected by jumping down such a big height. He was holding a simple metal cup in his hands.

"Here, drink this," the shaman handed Jen his cup.

"What is it? Water?" The gunslinger blinked in puzzlement once more as he stared at the clear, odorless liquid in the cup.

"It might be water…or it might be poison. It depends on you," Orios warned, eyeing the young man with interest. He wanted to see how gutsy Jen was; will he back out of the challenge or take it head on?

Realizing Orios won't tell him anything more unless he drinks it, Jen tightened his lips in deep thoughts. For a while he glanced between the cup and Orios, but finally, he brought the cup to his mouth and took one long sip. In one gulp, all of the liquid washed down his throat. "Hm...it really does taste just like wat-" Jen never managed to finish that sentence before his whole body started convulsing on the ground. The cup fell out of his hands and soon his body followed as he fell to the ground, before Orios' feet. "Why?" The pirate barely managed to squeeze out the question through pained moans and deep breaths. Every muscle in him convulsed as shots of pain went through his body. Saliva and foam started coming out of Jen's mouth as he breathed loudly, struggling for breath.

"This water will test you, boy. It will kill all those who aren't strong enough…who aren't worthy. I did warn you…these challenges aren't kid's play," with a serious tone Orios responded. "It's too early to tell which will it be, but only you can decide. If you want to live than fight the poison in your system! Those who have the will to survive, will!"

Jen could barely hear the man now as he fought to stay conscious, but his mind was slowly losing the battle. His vision became hazy, then blurry, until it slowly started darkening. Soon, Jen couldn't hear or see anything. Everything simply went black.

X_X_X_X_X

_Jen's small voice echoed as two kids talked together, sitting on a high cliff and watched the horizon. There was nothing but water and the setting sun in front of them, but Jen still thought the scenery looked beautiful. Next to him was a blonde young girl, a bit older than him, gazing in front with a determined stare. _

"_I'm going to be a great pirate just like dad, Jen! You'll see, one day I'll have a ship and my own crew and I'll get into even bigger adventures than my dad!" Lucas said with confidence in her young heart._

"_Then can I come with you?" Jen asked, timidly._

_The girl laughed and stared at him as he was crazy. "Of course! I'll need a navigator, after all, and you're the best Jen!"_

_Hearing his sister praise him, even if they weren't actually blood related, sent a rush of happiness through the boy. He smiled at her. "Then I'll become the best navigator! And we'll have real nakama too, just like Usopp-san did! We'll all be like family!" Jen answered in excitement and they both laughed._

Suddenly everything went dark as Jen's dream disappeared and the pirate was left in sheer nothingness. There was just dark all around him….darkness and loneliness.

'_There's nothing here….nothing…' _Jen thought faintly.

"Jen!" Someone's voice suddenly ripped through the darkness. It sounded familiar to Jen, but he just couldn't remember the owner of it.

"Who…? Who is it? Who's in here?" He asked timidly, but he couldn't see anything but darkness all around him.

"Jen!" Even louder, the voice yelled as if calling out to him.

"I know this voice…"

"You can't go yet, Jen! We're nakama! You can't leave your nakama behind!" The voice continued to shout as if chasing after the gunslinger, as if searching for him in the darkness. "Jen!"

"Razi?" That's right, this voice belonged to his captain. To one of his important nakama.

"Jen!" Another voice came from the darkness. A female one this time and also very familiar.

"Eiza…" Jen recognized it.

More voices started calling out to him, as if trying to stop him…but stop him from what? It took time in his hazed mind, but Jen started recognizing the voices. Razi, Eiza, Momo, Daniel, and even Jane. Everyone were calling for him, telling him to return…but return where? Where was he now? Where were they? Why weren't he with his nakama as he was supposed to? Questions rushed through his confused mind one by one while the voices became louder and louder. He squeezed his eyes tightly to try and calm himself.

That's when he heard one more, familiar and warm voice. "What are you doing in a gloomy place like this, bro?"

Jen opened his eyes to see Lucas' smirking face in front of him. "Sister?"

She smiled at him and reached out, giving him her hand. "Come on…you don't belong here. There's still a lot more you need to do, remember?"

Without thinking, Jen took his sisters hand and instantly felt as if he was being pulled upwards with great force. A bright light engulfed him as he was suddenly pulled out of that darkness.

X_X_X_X_X

When Jen regained consciousness he could barely open his eyes. Even that simple act hurt him as light invaded his vision. The sun was already high up as it was past noon. He must've been out for a couple of hours. His body felt exhausted and numb. As he tried to move, he barely managed to turn from his side onto his back. He was so weak, it took him three tries to sit up.

"So you're finally awake?" A familiar voice sounded beside him.

Jen turned his head up to see Orios walking over to him with a water container made of skin pelt.

"Wha-?" Jen tried to speak and ask what happened, but his throat was so dry it hurt to speak.

"Here, drink this, you'll feel better," the shaman offered him the container.

Jen only stared at him suspiciously, without a word. The last time he drank something this man gave him, he ended up in a world of pain.

Yet Orios only laughed whole-heartedly at Jen's stare. "Don't worry my boy, it's just water this time. After all, there's no need for me to hurt you…you passed the test!"

Jen's eyes widened in confusion.

Orios nodded and continued, "That's right. Well if you hadn't, you'd already be dead, so…," instead of finishing the sentence, he offered Jen his water once more.

This time the sniper took it and took a small, cautious sip. He waited for a while to see what happens, but when he didn't feel any pain from it, Jen took the whole container with trembling hands and brought it to his mouth, gulping up the water greedily. With a loud gasp, he finished drinking, feeling that his thirst was quenched and the pain in his throat lessened. "What happened to me, Orios?"

"You fell into unconscious, started burning a high fever and finally fell into a coma…but all the while your body continued to fight the poison until it won. You beat it and came back to the world of the living. Congratulations, boy, on passing the first test of your crew!" The shaman grinned.

"I feel horrible…" That's all the pirate could say in return.

"Well that's reasonable, the poison made your body weak. You'll need more rest until all your strength returns," Orios nodded in agreement as he stated matter-of-factly.

Then Orios' eyes twitched suddenly and he grabbed Jen with one hand before leaping forward. "Watch out!"

In that instant, a large explosion was heard behind them as Orios' house went up in flames. Pieces of it fell down right where Jen was lying only seconds ago. Orios clenched the staff with one hand while holding onto the young pirate with the other. He set Jen down onto the mossy ground and they both stared at his burning home.

"Your house!" Jen exclaimed in shock and despair, but Orios simply clicked his tongue in annoyance as he seemed focused on other thing at the moment.

The shaman kept his eyes trained on a single spot in the treetops. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Finally, a tall slender man jumped down from the trees, just like Orios did before. The man was wearing a purple suit with a bright yellow tie and a black top hat. He was pale and had two thin, black mustaches above his upper lip. The man tipped his top hat at the pair and bowed deeply. "Greetings! It seems you were able to dodge my attack. It is unfortunate…well, for me at least. But also it is unfortunate for you because you got me as your opponent and I assure you…you will not be dodging the next one," he rose straight up again and chuckled while tossing a simple pebble in the air and catching it in his hand again.

"Damn, it must be one of Umbrage's men! So they're really here on the island after all!" Jen cursed in a mutter, but Orios still heard him.

"Umbrage…you mentioned that name before. I don't know much about the outside world, though," the shaman answered. Turning towards the newcomer, Orios asked in a calm tone, "Who are you, except the man who so rudely destroyed my house?"

Lowering his top hat once more in a greeting, the tall gentleman introduced himself. "They call me Mr. K and my trick is…" He suddenly flicked the pebble he was holding in his hands at Orios and Jen.

Expecting an attack with his haki, Orios quickly jumped backwards and took the weak Jen with him. The pebble hit the ground where Orios was standing and made a large explosion.

When the dust cleared out, Orios and Jen, who was able to find some strength to stand now, could see Mister K standing before them. "I ate the Kyuu Kyuu no Mi, so everything I touch can become explosive." He took a sliver of grass in his hand and blew it with his breath towards the pair. The grass exploded just like the pebble did.

"And I am here to kill all of you, pirates," Mister K said with a wide smile.


	16. Chapter 16

**This story was written by 4fireking and BloodyMarryMe. Please review. **

Chapter 16

Jen was trying to catch his breath as he was carried around under Orios' arm while they dodged together attack after attack coming from Mister K. The tall man in a purple suit was simply strolling along the jungle after them, flicking things at them that exploded instantly, ripping everything to shreds. The man wasn't even out of breath since all he had to do was use his fingers to flick the pebbles at the two men running away.

At least Jen was feeling his strength slowly coming back. He could even walk now, though it was still pretty slow and his one leg was still numb, making him limp.

"I don't know who this man is, but we need to stop him before he sets fire to the whole jungle," Orios finally said, setting Jen on his feet and turning back towards Mister K who was slowly walking towards them. It was as if telling them that it didn't matter how fast or how far they run; there was no escape.

Suddenly, Jen stood before him with a determined expression. "I'll do it," there was no hesitation as he said that, even though he was still barely standing.

Orios' eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean? You can barely walk boy!"

Jen smirked. "This is _our_ fight; the fight against Umbrage and his men. The fight against the Shichibukai who's after us," he started to explain, "so we should be the ones to finish it. If you help us and Umbrage starts targeting you too…it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. I don't want to get you involved in our troubles so please, let me take care of it," he finished, coughing a few times from exertion.

The middle aged man kept silent for a while, simply staring at the courageous man in front of him. He was obviously thinking of something, but he didn't voice out his thoughts. Instead, his attention was brought to the sound of a broken twig behind them. Their enemy was drawing near and they didn't have much time left. With a decision made, Orios nodded. "In that case, the best of luck to you boy. I also have something else to do…so try not to die here on your own," the man smirked before turning around.

Jen watched the older man leave, his form disappearing through the jungle trees. He smiled tiredly before turning back to face Mister K. "I already survived death once today…hopefully I can do it again," he muttered and saw the purple suit coming his way through the jungle.

X_X_X_X

As Orios rushed through the jungle, it wasn't hard to find what he was looking for with the power of his haki; or in this case, _who_ he was looking for.

He ran swiftly, jumping from tree to tree, easily moving on the harsh terrain. He jumped in the air and grabbed one of the longer vines, swinging on it and landing on yet another branch.

While he moved he only had one direction in mind; the group of unknown humans on this island. He had most of the area of the island under his haki, so he could tell when there were intruders on Little Garden. Right now, besides Razi and the pirates at the beach, there was one more group of people gathered at the inner part of the island.

He finally arrived at one of the large sea king skulls that looked like a whole mountain. It was already covered with grass and other greenery, which hid its true form, making it look like any other mountain except for its strange white color and smooth bony surface. The skull had some cracks and holes from the passage of time, making it look like caves, while it was completely hollow inside.

Orios snuck up closer to the wall, hearing voices that came through one of the large eye sockets of the skull.

"We can just pick them off, one by one," a voice came from the inside.

"Kyahaha! Piece of cake, that Wolf Fang Razi and his friends are as good as dead!"

"You shouldn't underestimate them….especially not that captain boy," a deep, cold voice echoed through the cave.

"U-Umbrage-sama!" All other men exclaimed in surprise and visible fear.

Orios' eyes narrowed as he heard that name, '_Umbrage…Those pirates also mentioned that name. It must be their leader,_' the shaman thought, clutching at his staff.

"Now be quiet and let's go over the plan of how we will kill those pirates one by one," Umbrage started and all the others exclaimed a "Yes!" in unison.

X_X_X_X

Jen jumped to the side, dodging yet another twig that exploded as soon as it hit the spot where he was standing just a second ago. Still in the air, the gunman took out his two pistols and shot at Mister K. However, the enemy already had pebbles prepared in his hand and he simply flicked them at the bullets with precision. As soon as the pebbles collided with the bullets in the air, they exploded.

Thinking he could at least use the smoke from the explosion as the cover, Jen jumped through the smoke and aimed at Mister K once again. However, his eyes widened when he realized the tall man wasn't standing at that place anymore.

"Looking for me?" A voice came from above Jen.

"Wha?!" Jen looked up and saw Mister K standing one a branch, high above him in a tree, still smiling widely. He played with his slick mustache, looking down at Jen.

"It's useless, you should just stand here and let me kill you," the man tipped his top hat at Jen, before raising a hand in the air. "Bombardier!" Mister K suddenly shouted and let dozens of small pebbles fall to the ground, right at Jen. His hand was filled with small stones and it started raining down pebbles on Jen.

It didn't take long for the pirate to realize what was about to happen. With a gasp, the shooter raised his weapons and started shooting at the pebbles, each bullet hitting one of the small stones. As they did, the stone would explode in the air. However, Jen soon realized there was just too many of them falling down. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. As the pebbles hit the ground, they exploded around Jen just like bombs falling from the sky. Some of them hit the pirate; his shoulders, legs, arms…He tried to keep his head secure with his hands, but it just meant everything else got burnt.

"Gyaaah!" Jen screamed in pain as he felt parts of his flesh get ripped and burnt by the explosions.

When the rain of pebbles finally stopped and the smoke cleared away, Mister K could still see a form standing there. "Impossible! He should be blown to smithereens! Tch, I guess he managed to shoot some of the stones that would make the most damage before they fell down on him," the man concluded in annoyance.

Jen was standing there, covered in blood, swaying from side to side. His arms were just hung at his sides, but they still clutched the two pistols, not letting go. His head was down, the ruffled hair covering his face. Still, his body was completely covered in blood or charred black by burns. Some of his clothes were ripped and burned, while other parts stuck to his skin with blood. He coughed a few times, showing signs of life. "I…won't…let you…We have an important test on this island….I won't let you stop us from getting Merry! It was Usopp-san's important ship!" He panted, but managed to yell out at Mister K nevertheless.

The tall man in a purple suit gritted his teeth in annoyance. For the first time that day, his wide gentleman smile was wiped off his face and replaced by a sneer. "Who do you think you are, you lousy pirate! Like you can do anything to me!" He growled, losing his cool for a second. He took some of the twigs from the treetop and held each between his fingers like a couple of senbon weapons. He threw each twig towards Jen, aiming for head, heart and stomach.

However, Mister K didn't notice that Jen was just buying time with his speech so he could reload his guns. As soon as his enemy threw the twigs at him, the pirate fired his one pistol. A green small bullet came out and suddenly started to bloom into numerous branches and vines that coiled around the three twigs like a ball. It completely trapped the twigs inside that exploded. The plant ball burst into flames and was destroyed by the explosion, but it still managed to keep the explosion contained so Jen wasn't injured by it.

Miter K was surprised, but his shock didn't last long as he threw another, bigger stone, towards the pirate. With the last of his strength, Jen jumped to the side and dodged. Part of the explosion hit his leg which was in the air, and he yelped in pain, but still managed to roll away into some shrubs to hide from Mister K's view.

"Haha! Do you really think you can hide from me, little pirate?!" The tall man in a purple suit yelled, his voice echoing through the jungle. A few birds suddenly flew out of some bushes and Miter K instantly flicked a pebble there that exploded. A painful squeak of some animal was heard, but there was no sign of the gunman there. "Tch," Mister K clicked his tongue with a scowl and continued looking around carefully. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" He chimed gleefully.

Jen was hiding behind a palm tree, panting hard. He was still losing blood, but had to keep himself from falling unconscious from the pain. His left arm was numb already, probably injured by the previous rain of explosions. He could barely move it by now. He put one gun back to its holster and clutched the remaining gun in his right hand._ 'I can only use my good arm now…One gun against numerous bombs of that freak,' _Jen thought as he gritted his teeth and looked inside the gun. A small yellow bullet was inside; it was Jen's newest creating that he worked on with his alchemy on the ship. '_I didn't have a chance to test it…I guess I can only rely on my luck now,'_ he sighed, closing his eyes for a while to focus. He could hear Mister K's movements. Soon the man would walk right where Jen was waiting for him. _'Just a little longer,_' the pirate waited patiently, but his right arm started trembling. He clutched the gun in it to keep it steady. He didn't have the leisure to make a mistake now; if he did, he'll be dead for sure.

A sound of a twig breaking was heard and Jen knew exactly where Mister K was standing from that sound. He suddenly rushed out of his shelter, standing up again in haste and aiming at Mister K. He didn't have time for aiming, so he could only rely on his sharpshooter skills.

At the same time, Umbrage's henchman heard Jen get out of the bushes and turned around, flicking a small stone at the pirate while he turned.

Both men attacked at the same time; Jen shot at Mister K, while the tall man flicked a sharp pebble at Jen. And both attacks hit at the same time.

The pebble exploded in Jen's face since he had no way of defending or dodging at this moment. "Gah!" He yelled in pain as he felt a side of his face and eye get burned by the heat of the explosion.

At the same time, Jen's bullet hit mister K, splattering something gooey and wet, but barely visible, all over him. It felt like some slick, see-through liquid that covered Mister K whole. "Ugh, what is it, this is disgusting!" The man tried to clean it off of him, but it just stuck to him more. "That was your finishing move? Are you an idiot…you just made me dirty, that's all! Bahahaha!" Mister K laughed as he ignored the liquid and walked over to Jen who was writhing in pain on the mossy ground.

Umbrage's henchman took a fistful of moss from the ground, ready to use his devil fruit power and finish the gunman off. The liquid from his hands covered even the moss. "Now die!" He threw the moss at Jen who was right in front of him…or at least that's what he thought he did. "Huh?" With a confused blink, Mister K realized the moss stayed inside his hand as if he never threw it; however, he realized it too late since he already activated his powers. The giant ball of moss exploded in his hand, ripping the man's arm to threads and splattering his blood everywhere. "Gyaaaaa!" The man yelled and started rolling on the ground in pain as he lost his arm. That whole side of his body was also injured from the explosion, and it was burnt and charred in several places. Mister K paled as blood poured out of his open wound quickly, making him nauseous and his vision hazy. He was about to lose consciousness. Before he blacked out, he could hear Jen's snicker, "Eat that…my newest invention; the membrane bullet. As you know, membranes let some things in, but don't let them back out…So you could take your explosives, but the membrane didn't let you let go of them," he explained with the last of his strength. With that, Jen fell back down on his back and closed his eyes, losing consciousness.

X_X_X_X

When the pirate gunman returned back to reality, he felt even more in pain than after surviving that poisonous water. "Ugh...where am I?" He groaned, looking around with pained eyes. Around him was still the same jungle as before and he could still see signs of fighting; blown up trees and burnt grass, along with puddles of blood staining the nature in some places. Yet, on his surprise, he got an answer to his question.

"You're just where I left you; in the jungle of Little Garden," a familiar voice answered.

Jen looked up, recognizing the voice and seeing the old face that came with it. "Orios! You're back!"

"Yeah, and just in time to patch you up," the man explained. "You won't die brave pirate…not yet at least," the man joked.

Jen looked down at his body and saw that he was covered in bandages. His left arm was in a cast, and he could barely see on one eye as it was also covered in bandages around his head. That's when he remembered his enemy, "What about the other guy?!"

"Hmm? What other guy?" Orios asked in puzzlement.

Without answering, Jen managed to sit up with a lot of moaning from pain. He stared at the place where Mister K fell down, but there was indeed no sign of him. Instead, he could see a trail of blood on the grass that headed back into the thick jungle. _'So he managed to escape, huh? Probably went back to Umbrage,'_ Jen sighed.

"Come, we need to warn your friends. I was interested in this Umbrage you kept mentioning so I went to find their camp and overheard their plans for you," Orios explained and helped the pirate up on his trembling feet. He put Jen's good arm around his shoulder and propped the gunman up so he could walk more easily.

"We need to tell Razi then! And stop the test until we deal with those guys," Jen said.

"No…We can tell your captain, but it's too late to stop the test. Once it starts, it has to be finished, it can't be stopped," the shaman warned grimly.

"What? But it's too dangerous," Jen argued but Orios cut him off.

"You already agreed to this test knowing how dangerous it was. This new turn of events does not matter! You need to finish what you started!" The old man argued back, his tone telling Jen that he will not compromise on it.

X_X_X_X

Mister K barely got out alive as he dragged his body back to the white mountain, where Umbrage awaited him. His cold body shivered at the fear of going back to that dark man without doing the job properly. Still, Mister K had no other choice; if he tried to escape, Umbrage would kill him for sure. There was nowhere to run from Umbrage and their Shichibukai master.

He barely managed to return to camp, clutching on his bleeding wound of the missing arm and fell right onto the dirt in front of Umbrage's feet. "I-I'm sorry sir….I failed.." he barely chocked out his words. He was trying hard not to pass out from the pain again. "That gunman pirate…he got me," he continued through gritted teeth.

He could see the black boots in front of his face on the ground, knowing they belonged to his boss.

"So you failed," Umbrage kept his voice cold as usual as he stated matter-of-factly.

"I-I'm sorry…" Mister K gulped in terror.

The pale apparition standing in front of him narrowed his eyes. He grabbed Mister K by his yellow tie and lifted him up on his feet. The tall man simply sagged in front of Umbrage. "I don't need your apologies…I only need results, " Umbrage hissed back.

Mister K's eyes widened as he felt piercing pain in his abdomen. Looking down, he saw one of Umbrage's shadows piercing his stomach and going inside of him even more. The man coughed out blood and started choking from pain. A trail of blood came out of his mouth and another came from his nose. He stared back fearfully in the yellow eyes of his boss, who kept his face expressionless even while he killed him.

"You are useless to me like this," Umbrage tossed Mister K aside like a ragged doll.

X_X_X_X

Razi and his crewmates waited one and a half hours for Jen and Orios. The ones worried most about Jen were Razi, Momo, and Eiza. These three and Jen seemed to be the only ones who cared about other people's lives. While they were worrying over Jen's safety, Daniel and Jane were having an arm-wrestle on some tree cut down. Both were strong because they both liked to use weapons and do lots of push-ups. Jane's weapon was heavier and required two hands; both her hands were crushing Daniel. But Daniel trained more than her when she was in the kitchen.

" Had enough, Fallen Angel?" Daniel screeched.

" What about you, Woman-Hater?" The Skypien hissed.

These two white hair killers would continue arm wrestling until who knows how long. There was no telling what kind of test Orios was putting Jen through. Razi tried climbing trees, getting on the branches and using a wood-clad telescope to find Jen. Eiza used her ice devil fruit to make an ice hill to get a better view and looked at the forest with her own telescope.

Momo was curled in the bottom of the hill repeating to himself Jen was coming back. " Jen will come back. He won't leave me alone. If he leaves me alone the only people I'll have left are Razi and Daniel."

Razi and Eiza were on their spots for the last half hour. Daniel and Jane have been arm wrestling the moment Jen left. Their hate and stomach growling was what kept them going. The winner gets to eat anything he wants the loser has to find.

" There's something I wanted to say to you since the first day we met," Daniel chimed. " Your outfit makes you look fat."

" You're just a weak bastard with no mother and a dead father? Where's your father? Where was he when he died? Away from you. He was right to leave you. It spares him the humiliation of knowing his son uses swords to follow Roronoa Zoro, a pirate he hates."

Daniel and Jane kept throwing insults at each other. Neither of them paid attention to the environment or proclaimed they were both troubled kids who needed friends. Orios returned with Jen. Jen looked fine. His new body had a cast around his right arm and his left eye was big because his skin was burned off, but otherwise he was fine.

" Are you sure you don't want me to restore your body to it's former form?" Orios asked.

" Not yet," Jen said. " I want them to think it's irreversible and they have to get used to it. Then we can all laugh about it."

Jen surprised them with his visit. Everyone but Daniel and Momo couldn't stop looking at his eye. Forget about his hand blown off, his eye looked like someone's eyes popped out of their body and put in a skinless body.

" Hey Jen," Momo said, the world always seemed nicer when he smiled. Momo's smile was fake because the world didn't seem any friendlier for Jen. " Nice to see... Welcome back."

" It's good to see you three too," Jen admitted. A low sigh emanated behind Momo. It was Eiza.

" Are you ready to submit?" Daniel said, a smile of victory on his face.

" When you carefully studied me and know how you can't win; I will let you give up," Jane said casting her eyes at Daniel's feet. They were struggling to wriggle in the dirt.

" YOU TWO!"

Jane and Daniel both jumped. Daniel slammed Jane's hand on the wood. " Alright, I won!"

" No fair! You cheated!" Jane and Daniel looked at the man who distracted Jane. It was Orios, the shaman. He was looking at both of them.

" You two," he continued. " You two are not real crewmates."

" No shit," Jane grunted. " Every time I see his face I want to electrocute him."

" Every time I look at her, she reminds me how much I hate women!" Daniel groaned, stabbing his sword in the ground.

" Are you two in love?"

" NO!" They shouted in unison.

" Then do you wish to see each other naked?"

" Absolutely not!" Daniel spat.

" I'd rather bleed through my eyes than ever look at a man like him with his swords and clothes," Jane explained. Orios imagined herself getting close to cutting her eyes with a knife.

" You two seem like two friends who would risk your lives for each other, but you are confusing your feelings for each other with violence. You two need to be put in a test where the only way to survive is working together. I'll appreciate the hard work I know you two will give for your crew."

" What the hell is he talking about?" Daniel whispered.

" I have no idea," Jane whispered back.


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter was written by 4fireking and BloodyMarryMe. This used to be a very long chapter but I separated it into two parts. So the next chapter was both of ours as well. Please read and review. **

Chapter 17

Jane and Daniel were walking through the forest, bickering.

" If he wants us to race I'm so coming in first place," Jane said.

" If he wants us to fight I'll totally come in first place," Daniel responded with pure confidence.

" I don't even know why he asked a troublemaker like you to come into the forest. We all know you've never been in the woods. I spent years living in the woods. I can adapt and you can't."

" Will you two please stop bickering about who's the best! Listening to you two is like listening to the grandchildren I never had," Orios turned to face them after having enough of listening to their argument. "And it's…" He grabbed at his heart, " It's just..." Suddenly he fell to the ground, unable to finish his statement.

Both Daniel and Jane blinked and stared at Orios in confusion while he lay on the muddy ground.

" What's going on?" Daniel tilted his head, not really getting what the other man was trying to do.

" It looks like he is having a heart attack," Jane answered, her face showing absolutely no concern despite the situation.

However, when the swordsman realized the reason, he turned back to Jane with shock in his expression. "Well do something!"

The older woman just shrugged. "What?"

"Give him CPR or something!"

Jane stood there quietly as if thinking about something, then crouched next to Orios and swung her arm sharply. She gave the shaman a good, strong slap right across the face. "Wake up! Wake up you old guy!"

" That's not CPR! You're only making it worse, you're gonna kill him! You're twice my age, how can you not know CPR?"

"No one was ever nice enough to teach me that!" Jane yelled back in her defense.

The swordsman sighed and shook his head, kneeling next to the older man. He gulped, staring down at the dry lips of the shaman who seemed to have stopped breathing. Ever so slowly, Daniel leaned in closer to the shaman's face and finally, with much disgust, closed his own lips over Orios'. He breathed out some air into the older man's lungs, giving him CPR. As soon as he finished, he practically jumped away and scurried from the man with a disgusted expression. All the while, he was trying to rub his lips clean with his sleeve. "His mouth tastes like bug poop and alcohol. How am I supposed to restart his heart?"

"Did you say restart his heart?" Jane suddenly turned towards Daniel.

"Yeah," not knowing what made the skypiean so attentive all of a sudden, Daniel just stared at her in puzzlement.

The woman raised her one arm, opening the palm of her hand. Through it, blue electricity surged, dancing from one finger to the other. Jane simply smirked mischievously at Daniel's shocked expression, right before she slammed her electrical hand into the shaman's chest. As soon as she did it, Orios' body convulsed and jolted as electricity surged through him. Jane was just about to do it again, thinking the man needed one more bust when his hand swiftly grabbed her by the neck. She didn't even have time to act or jump back from the surprise as the man came back to life. His eyes opened and stared right into her wide ones.

"Titan Mo-No Kilaf!" The man yelled suddenly and hit Jane eight times in her body on different areas. All the way from her stomach to her neck, he hit her with precision on certain spots, with only two fingers and such speed the others could barely follow his movement. Jane couldn't even react, as she just gasped from confusion and shock. When Orios hit the final spot at the crevice between her neck and shoulder, the woman's eyes widened before they fluttered shut and Jane fell to the ground, unmoving.

Seeing this and barely believing it, Daniel suddenly stood up and started to unsheathe Yoko Rashien from his side, but before he could do it, Orios was already in front of him. With ease, the man stopped Daniel's draw with one hand on the butt of the hilt, pushing the whole sword back into its scabbard despite Daniel's efforts to try and unsheathe it.

"You bastard what are you playing at!? What have you done to Jane?!" All Daniel could do was shout at the shaman in front of him.

"You two don't work well together. I'm going to change that," Orios responded simply before taking his staff and hitting Daniel on the head with it. After that, everything went black for the swordsman.

X_X_X_X

Daniel groaned, feeling pulsing pain in his head and his temples. His vision was still hazy as he tried to open his eyes and get them used to the bright light. He could feel a soft feeling on his back and a bit of weight. It didn't take him long to realize Jane was leaning on his back, looking around the place just as he was.

"Where are we?" He groaned, raising his hand and feeling the large, sore bump on his head. He hissed in pain as it stung from his touch.

"Somewhere stupid. We'll be laughing about it tomorrow," Jane sighed, trying to show that she didn't care about their situation. Compared to him, she was already fully awake, since she awoke before him. "Right after I kill that shaman for bringing us here," she added with a bit of venom in her voice.

Daniel examined his surroundings to see what _'here'_ was exactly. It looked like a cavern with stone walls surrounding them, but the only way out seemed to be a large hole well above their heads, where the bright sunlight was coming from and hitting their eyes. "Yeah. He lied about the tests so he could drop us in here. Have fun killing him, but I'm going back to the crew," he stood up and checked to see if all of his swords were in place by his waist. Then he looked up at the large hole above their heads, examining the stone walls of the cavern and thinking of the best way to climb up.

Jane also had no intention of staying here. She stood up and also tried to walk towards the wall on the opposite side. The two pirates each walked their separate ways until they felt a strong thug on their ankle. Both of them stumbled and fell face first into the ground.

"What the hell?" Jane yelled angrily and looked at her ankle. Daniel did the same. At that moment they both blinked in puzzlement, noticing a single golden string connecting their ankles. Jane's was tied on the right one, while Daniel's on the left one. "Who did this to us?"

"Welcome. Welcome. Welcome." A cheerful voice echoed throughout the space. It bounced off the cavern walls, making it hard to guess where the person was hiding. Both pirates turned around and searched for the source of the voice, until they found a single parrot sitting on one of the higher rocks.

"A parrot," Jane commented with a questioning stare. It couldn't be that the parrot was talking…could it?

"A parrot," the parrot repeated.

"These things repeat everything you say no matter what it is," Daniel sighed.

"These things repeat everything you say no matter what it is," the parrot repeated.

Then the swordsman got a good idea and smirked before he started talking to the parrot again. "Jane."

" Jane," the parrot repeated again.

Jane stared at the two with suspicion.

"Skypiea is terrible," the man said.

"Skypiea is terrible," the bird repeated.

"Hey!" Jane instantly glared at the swordsman.

"I like to eat vegetables," the woman tried this time.

"I like to eat vegetables," the bird said in a squawky voice.

"This is my favorite part of talking to them," Daniel smirked again and turned back to the parrot. He started talking matter-of-factly, confident that the bird will repeat after him. "I'm a stupid parrot who stuffs my face with crackers and crap in people's mouths."

Complete silence fell upon them as the bird just kept staring at the swordsman. "That's not a nice thing to say about us parrots. We don't eat as many crackers as you humans and we clean ourselves," suddenly the parrot answered with a blunt tone.

"Eh?!" Daniel stared at the parrot in surprise from the sudden change.

Jane blinked at the two in confusion. "Why did you tell him to say that?"

"I didn't," the swordsman defended, raising his arms into the air with a shrug.

"Kill them humans. Kill them parrots," the bird continued, this time in a more ominous voice.

Both pirates gasped, ready to fight the parrot if necessary. However, the bird just laughed loudly in their faces. "Just kidding. I actually know a lot of words and have been trained to think for myself and use them proficiently. My name is Ari and I am here because Orios asked me to. I tied you both together with a string as stronger than even metal chains," with one colorful wing the bird pointed at the golden string connecting the two.

"You did this!?" Jane yelled at the parrot.

"I did. If you want me to cut it off all you have to do is pass the test. If you go northwest you will find a long wooden bridge with a steep ledge. All you have to do is cross that bridge and you will pass. The trouble is you have to walk through the bridge together; if one of you falls than the other will fall too."

"You can't expect us to go northwest chained like this," Jane argued, gesturing at her ankle. "It will be hard jumping down together, avoiding snakes and keeping the pace synchronized."

The bird snickered at her words. "If it wasn't hard than it wouldn't be a test, would it? You'll see me again when you reach the bridge. Bye," then just before he flew out of their hole, Ari turned to them again. "Ah, yes, but before that as your first task…you'll have to climb out of here to even start your journey. Good luck~" He sang, still snickering at them, before easily flying up and out of the cavern through the large hole.

The two pirates just started after the bird, realizing the mess they were in at the moment.

"You gotta be kidding me…how do we climb out of here?" Daniel sighed, already feeling exasperated.

"When I get out of this, I'm going to catch that bird and burn it alive," Jane grumbled, feeling that her pride was hurt by a simple bird.

X_X_X_X

"You're kidding?" Eiza exclaimed. "Umbrage is on this island and has sent five assassins to kill us?!"

"Yes, I heard the whole thing," Orios answered. I didn't get a look at their faces, but he has two females and three males. Which one of you is Wolf Fang Razi?"

"I am," Razi said, standing on one hand, a balance exercise, and smiling at Orios. He was balancing perfectly with his hand.

"I'm afraid he'll be coming after you whether or not his assassins kill your other five nakama."

"What? But I thought we were friends," the boy titled his head in surprise.

" He's a monster, Razi!" Eiza yelled. "He's already killed people. He kills without remorse and has no feelings. If his master told him to kill you sooner, then you'd  
be dead already."

"Who's Umbrage?" Momo asked.

"We met on Lucas's island and Casterwill's island," Jen explained to his fishman friend before turning back to the others. "Eiza is right. He kills you with his shadows. He can slice off your arms with those shadows or crush your neck," the sheer thought of it made him shudder.

"I only met Casterwill once," Momo said. "I don't know what he's done, but he can't be that bad. He didn't kill anyone on Lucas's crew," the sawshark shrugged.

"Yeah. And if he didn't kill all those guards we would never get to Casterwill's castle," Razi added, jumping back onto his two feet. "Umbrage is not that bad."

"NOT THAT BAD?!"

Everyone including Orios froze when they heard that person shout louder than a cannonball. Everyone looked up. They were blinded by the silhouette of a bird descending to the ground. They could see wings of a swan. Everyone thought it was Jane or another Skypiean, but the person with wings attached to his back was male. Eiza used her ice powers to create an ice saber. Momo put his hand in his mouth and pulled out his teeth. A new pair regrew after the old ones, even sharper than before. Jen raised his two guns and aimed at the stranger.

When man finally descended, the only one who didn't react or prepare for a fight was Razi. "You're that guy...wait, I know your name. Is it Elliot? Edward? Eddy?" The wolf captain tilted his head as he thought hard, trying to remember the newcomer's name.

"My name is Eden and I came to tell you not to fight Umbrage," the winged man seriously stated.

"Why should we listen to you?" Eiza asked, still in a fighting stance and glaring at Eden. She held her sword with one hand and stroked the blade's side with her fingers. "You work for Casterwill!"

"I'm an ex-member. I'm sure you can understand what that means, Ms. Marine," Eden gave her a knowing look, but Eiza simply returned it with a deeper glare.

"How do you know Eiza was a Marine?" Momo asked with suspicion, holding his teeth out to him. Eden stared at them unimpressed and unalarmed. "Don't make me use this," the sawshark warned.

However, the other man just raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? You're trying to threaten me with teeth?" With a single blink, two tiny wings popped out of Momo's teeth. The teeth then flew away and disappeared over the water, where they fell in. "I'm more than just a henchman. I'm a spy for the Marines and I've been recording messages to the navy for years on Casterwill so we can take him down. But you five miserable pirates strolled in and foiled our plans. Congratulations," he hissed at them with a glare of his own.

"You attacked us!" Eiza shouted in defense. "We were just trying to save our friend, but no, you had to come down there and attack."

"If I didn't, Casterwill would have put me in a room no better than a jail cell and drug me with morphine, while he carved names over my hand; the names of the people I  
let die. No one should live with Casterwill," he sighed as if remembering something painful, but then shook his head as if returning to reality. "But that's in the past. I'm trying to help you."

"Why would you want to help us?" Jen asked. "You're a Marine and we are pirates. We hate each other."

"Clearly," Eden rolled his eyes. " If there was anyone else to fight Casterwill I would send them, but the Marines can't use a Buster Call or the Giant Squad, Admirals, Vice Admirals, Pacifista, or any recruits because our new Fleet Admiral won't let us. Our base has turmoil just like you pirates. The difference between us is horrible leadership. The Marines have taken brides, taken two thousand five hundred people into homes and treat them worse than prisons, hell, we don't even let human beings see their families. Eventually the knife comes out and the fascist people must go away. I will tolerate you for now because I need your help."

"Are you a part of their crew?" Orios walked over to the group, seeing a newcomer among them. "Because if you are, you'll have to take my test."

"I'm not a part of their crew. If we're going to stop Casterwill, we have to take away all the things that give him power. That will hurt him. I believe we must poison him slow and make him suffer. We have to thrash his son," Eden ignored Orios and continued to stare at the captain of the pirates, Razi.

"No," Eiza said with dignity and a will of a Marine. "No one has to die. "

Eden held no expression as he bluntly answered, "That's not happening."

"If we're facing a Shichibukai, then our problems will happen the moment they are dead. Boa Hancock, Dracule Mihawk, Jinbe, Law, when they left, this world turned into anarchy. I know because when bad people like Buggy the pirate and Doflamingo died, they were replaced with horrible Shichibukai."

"I hate one Shichibukai," Momo growled. "His name is Razor and he has ruined my life not once, but two times. He killed two of my families. He's an agitator and a murderer! He can't be reasoned with. Anyone who sees him should shoot him on sight."

"I killed a Shichibukai," Razi said waving his arms. "He was after me and he knew my brother and my father. He made the mistake of fighting me alone, but it looks like he was afraid of me. In the end he dissolved," the captain shrugged, he's expression showing neither anger nor guilt. He was simply stating the facts now, just as he was simply defending himself at that time.

"Oh no," Jen gasped. "They're not going to replace him are they?"

"No," Eiza shook her head. "When I became a Marine we used to talk to the Shichibukai so I learned quite a lot. There's this one guy, the leader, who owns the whole Shichibukai. The rest of the Shichibukai are afraid of him. I met him in person actually," she scowled at the memory. "He was bleeding from his one eye…that eye…it still gives me nightmares. His skin was blue, but not blue like a fishman's; his skin was dark blue like the sky right before a sunset. He was big too. He killed a man by throwing one hundred arrows in his back. That man was his messenger. They say he killed four of his messengers in two weeks. He's not someone you want to trifle with. The majority of people who see his face or hear his name lose all their courage. You killed his Shichibukai...he'll want you dead, Razi," Eiza shuddered at the thought of the leader of the Shichibukai, staring seriously at her captain.

X_X_X_X

Jane grabbed another rock and grunted as she tried to pull herself up, "ugh!"

"Hey! I wanted to use that rock to climb up!" Not far from her, Daniel was also climbing the rocky wall of the cavern, holding with both hands onto the slippery, sharp edges. He glared at the skypiean who just placed her hand on the rock he wanted to use to move further up.

"Tch, shut up and find your own rock!" Jane ignored him and tried to kick his side. "Get out of my way!"

Daniel grabbed her leg and pulled at it, struggling to keep up and get ahead of her on the wall. "_You_ get out of _my_ way!"

As they struggled on, Jane finally slipped and started sliding back down the wall. "Hyaa!" She tried to grab onto something to stop her fall, but it was no use, she was going too fast.

Daniel laughed as he saw her fall, but his victorious grin soon faltered when he felt a thug on his ankle. That's right, he forgot that they were connected; so if one falls, the other will too. "Oh no…" He muttered just before a strong force started pulling him down. It was Jane's weight, weighing him down and trying to drag him back to the bottom of this cave. With gritted teeth, Daniel tried to hold on, his fingers turning white from the force he was using to hold onto the cavern wall, but it was no use. One final pull and he slipped as well, sliding down the wall.

"Oof!" With a pained grunt Jane fell back all the way down and onto her ass. Luckily the ground was soft and covered in mud, so she didn't break anything. She glared up to yell at the swordsman again, but her eyes widened in despair and realization when she saw Daniel falling above her. Before she could scurry out of the way, Daniel fell onto her with a grunt, bringing both of them into the mud.

"Well...that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would," he muttered in confusion, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's because you fell on me, you dimwit!" The woman shouted so loud her voice boomed in the small space. Electricity surged through her body and a shock hit Daniel, making him jump off of her with a yowl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you crazy old bitch!?" He shouted, feeling that his white hair was still electrified. Luckily, it was already spiky to begin with so there wasn't much of a difference.

"I should be the one saying that, we fell because of you!" Jane argued back, yelling all the while.

"Gaah, I can't believe I got stuck with you of all people to do a test like this," Daniel ruffled his hair in frustration.

The woman just put her hands on her hips and huffed in irritation. "What a coincidence, those were my thoughts exactly," she bit back.

"Well great, we finally agree on something!" The swordsman hissed in anger.

"Yeah, great!" Jane answered curtly.

"Great!" Daniel answered.

"You just said that," Jane rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"….." For a while, both were silent, turning their backs to each other and crossing their arms on their chest, like two children pouting after a fight.

Finally, Daniel broke the silence, a bit calmer than before, but there was still a clear edginess in his voice. "Can't you just fly us out of here with your wings anyway?"

Jane sighed. "I can't, the space is too small to open them."

"Whatever, I'm going to go and try to climb the wall again," Daniel walked over to the slippery wall of the cavern and found a footing to start with. He grabbed a rock with his hand and started climbing up again. However, Jane was still standing beneath him and they both knew he wouldn't get far if she didn't climb the rocks too.

"It's no use, the rocks are too slippery and sharp," she told him and held out one of her hands for him to see. Her hand had cuts on some places, done by the sharp edges where she had to grab to climb up. Daniel already knew that though, since his hands didn't look any better. Even so, he stubbornly proceeded on, ignoring the pain and harshness underneath his fingertips.

"So you'd rather stay here and rot?" The swordsman shouted just before he slipped again, lost his foothold and slid down the rocky wall. "Shit!" He growled and pounded his fist into the wall angrily. "That's it, if I can't climb up then I'll just cut through and make an exit for myself!" He took out Tsuki and Aki, and was about to cut into the wall when Jane's hands grabbed the hilt of his katana behind his back to stop him.

"You can't," she yelled. "The wall will just cave in and burry us alive if you cut it!"

"Then what are we supposed to do!? I can't die here, I still have so much to achieve! If I die here in such a pathetic way, my father will never forgive me!" Daniel yelled, remembering his late father. Smoker was a man who would have definitely found a way out of here and he certainly wouldn't have given up. Then again, Smoker was a great marine and was a logia user. He would've just turned into smoke and flew out of here, but Daniel didn't have such ability. He was still only a simple human. That thought made the young swordsman grit his teeth in frustration. Was there nothing they could do?!

Jane clicked her tongue, bringing the boy out of his miserable state and back to reality. "I have no intention of dying here either. Didn't I tell you? I still have to kill that old man and the annoying parrot," she walked over to the wall and stared back at her companion. "Let's go," she gestured with her head and started climbing.

Daniel walked over next to her, and grabbed at the rocks as well. He was silent for a while, before muttering, "I don't think you should call Orios an old man since you're not really a spring chicken eit-Ow!" He got a slap on the back of his head from the woman before he could even finish that sentence. "Women! They can't even handle the truth!"

"Don't talk to me, you women-hater! It's the men who are just so insensitive, like you!" She spit back as they both begun to climb the high wall of the cavern.

Jane and Daniel found their foothold, keeping close to each other so the string between them wouldn't be a problem. However, they were so unused to working together that it was still hard to climb the wall. Daniel would put a hand on some rock, then Jane would step on his hand as she wanted to use that rock as her foothold. And another argument would follow. Then Daniel would climb higher up the wall, not minding the length of the string between them, and would be pulled back and almost make them both fall in the process.

"Aaah!" Jane yelled in frustration. "If we want this to work, then we can't just be careful where we step on the rocks, but also be mindful of each other all the time! Otherwise we'll step all over each other or pull at one another because of the string," the skypiean explained.

Daniel sighed. "Fine, I agree," he had trouble saying it and he only muttered it through gritted teeth, in a barely audible voice.

And so they continued to climb. Jane hissed at the pain in her hands whenever a sharp piece of rock would dig deep into her skin, but she didn't falter. They had to keep up the same pace between them. They checked carefully every rock and crevice before putting their weight on it, to make sure it was strong and steady enough. Little by little, the pair climbed up, nearing closer to the large exit up ahead. It was hard to look up at it, with the sunlight brightly flowing into their eyes.

When they were finally about to reach the exit, Daniel hurriedly grabbed on another rock above him, as he couldn't wait to get out already. He didn't check it thoroughly before and when he put his weight on it, the rock crumbled. The swordsman started to fall, sliding down on the wall. Luckily, he managed to grab onto a small crevice in the wall with one hand, but it the process of sliding he bumped into Jane and made her lose her footing.

"Wai-!" She never managed to finish as she started falling down, dragging him with her.

"Gah!" Daniel couldn't hold on as both of their strengths were slowly waning already. His fingers slipped off the rock, and he too started sliding down the wall painfully. The skin on his hands got cut and torn from his efforts to hold onto something and stop their fall. '_We were so close,' _he thought in despair before an idea came to his mind. He took out Yoko Rashien, and stabbed it into the ground. It was the sharpest katana of the three and their only chance now. The sword pierced through the stone but started cutting down, as he fell. However soon it slowed down his fall until it jammed completely into the rocky wall and stopped Daniel's fall.

Jane was still falling when a hand grabbed her flailing one. She looked up to see Daniel holding onto her arm and stopping her fall, while his other hand was clutched around the hilt of his katana, which was buried into the wall. Her legs flailed as she looked down at the ground beneath her, but then felt her arm slowly slip through Daniel's fingers. Both of them didn't have much strength left to hold out like this and she could see blood oozing from Daniel's hand as it made her skin more slippery to hold.

"Hurry!" He growled through his teeth, clutching onto Jane's wrist with all his might.

He managed to swing her to the side a little and Jane caught on of the rocks there, finding another foothold so she could grab onto the wall and hold on there, tightly. They both sighed in relief. "That was close," she commented.

"Come on, we have only little more to go," the swordsman said and they both continued to climb up in sync.

When they finally reached the surface, both grabbed at the dirt and grass underneath their fingertips like their life depended on it and pulled themselves up and out of the hole. Jane and Daniel fell to their backs and breathed hard, trying to catch their breaths when they were finally back on the surface, staring at the bright blue sky above them.

"We did it…" Daniel said, still panting.

"Yeah…" Jane answered. After she calmed herself a little, she glanced back at the swordsman beside her. "What you did back there…I guess I owe you a thanks…though I know you only did it because you needed to save yourself. If I fell, you would too, after all," she muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Tch, you ungrateful woman. I saved you and you're saying this…Well whatever! You're right, I only did it because I would've fallen too so no need to thank me," he glared at the skypiean and got up to his feet, dusting himself off.

Jane stood up silently, ignoring his words. "What now? I won't rest until I find that bird and the shaman," she hissed, her electricity surging once through her body in response to her anger.

"The parrot said to go northwest and that it will wait for us there. Orios might be there too, then. I have a thing or two to say to that guy too, so I also want to see him," the swordsman muttered with a deadly stare, resting his hand on the three swords at his side.

"I guess northwest it is then…though I hate the thought of doing what that idiot parrot told me to," Jane sighed and both of them started walking in this direction. "Also, listen up! We only worked a little together in that cave because we had no other choice, but don't think we're pals now or something! Don't get in my way!" Jane warned, staring back at the swordsman by her side.

"My thoughts exactly! This changes nothing!" Daniel glared at her before he also started walking. However the two didn't notice that they were walking in two separate directions and once again, the string stopped them and made them fall down on their stomachs.

"What are you doing, Northwest is this way!"

"Are you an idiot, it's that way!"

The pair continued to argue and shout in the middle of the jungle.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Finally deciding which way was northwest, Daniel and Jane continued to walk through the jungle. It was hard enough to walk, having to tread through mud and fight bushes and vines that were in the way, but the string connecting them made everything even harder. Every now and then they would lose their sync in walking and fall down. Of course when one would stumble and fall, the other would always follow. They were losing both their strength and patience as they struggled to keep on going.

"Alright, let's try this again," Jane sighed.

The two started walking at the same pace, stepping with the opposite legs at the same time. Daniel would step with his left foot and Jane with her right, which were both tied. Then, following the same pace, they would step with their other feet and repeat the process over and over. "One, two, one, two, one, two," Jane kept repeating, so they could synchronize their pace and movement by her voice. They looked like two soldiers marching in the middle of nowhere.

"I'm gonna kill that rejuvenated geezer when I see him," Daniel muttered angrily.

"Hands off, he's mine to kill," Jane responded bitterly.

"Tch, you can have the parrot," the swordsman mocked her with a smirk.

"_You_ can have the parrot! That bird is probably more than you can handle anyway, considering your strength," Jane mocked back.

"That's it!" Daniel stepped a few steps ahead of her and stopped, turning around to glare at the woman. "I'm ending this now!" He suddenly took out his katana and raised it high in the air. Thinking he was about to attack her, Jane prepared for a fight, pulling out the scythe from her back, but the swordsman swung down instead. He tried to cut the golden string binding them. However, he couldn't even make a nick on it. Forget metal chains, this thing was more resilient than a diamond, yet completely flexible just like a spider's string. He sheathed back his katana after a few tries, rendering it useless.

"Weakling. Let me," Jane lifted her scythe and tried to cut at the string, but soon realized it wasn't as easy as it seems.

Daniel smirked with triumph; at least the fact that she couldn't do it either made her the same as him. He was amused by her deflated chest when she realized she couldn't do it either, after all that boasting like she was better than him. "Ha! You can't do it either so who are you to call me weak!?"

Jane glared back at Daniel in front of her, but her angry expression soon turned into a confused one. "Huh? Were you always this short?" She stared at the man in front of her who appeared to be shorter than her by a whole head.

"What are you talking abou-" Daniel was about to ask, but then realized he was really looking up at her. Was Jane growing taller by the second? That's when he gazed down at his feet, only to realize the dreadful situation. Both of his feet were sinking deeper and deeper into the ground with alarming speed. "Quick sand!" he yelled out and tried to get out, but struggling only made him sink faster.

Jane seemed fine since her body wasn't sinking; she was probably standing on the edge of it, still on solid ground. "Idiot, stop struggling!" She yelled and then got pulled down and fell to the ground, as Daniel's bound ankle kept sinking lower. "Wah!" She fell onto her back and her body slowly kept being dragged closer to the quicksand because of the string tying them together.

"Do something!" Daniel yelled in panic. He was already chest deep in the deadly sand.

"Give me your hand, hurry!" Jane shouted and grabbed both of Daniel's hands with her own. She tried to find a foothold and drag him out, but the sand's power was strong and she kept slipping back down since her ankle was being dragged down into it.

"If I go under, it's only a matter of time before you will too, so pull dammit!" Daniel yelled to give her motivation.

"I get it…already…" She did her best to pull him out. He budged a little, but soon started sinking again. Getting an idea. Jane took out her scythe and stuck it deep into the ground with its pointy head buried down. "Grab this," she showed him the long handle of the scythe.

Daniel grabbed onto the metal handle, and started pulling himself out of the quicksand. Jane also helped by grabbing both of his shoulders and pulling him out. Finally, Daniel was out of the quicksand and back on solid ground again. He kissed the grassy ground several times, smiling happily. "Oh yes, sweet ground, I love you!"

"Disgusting," the skypiean made a grossed out expression, but it was unclear was she commenting on Daniel's words or his appearance since most of him was still covered in sand from his shoes to his chest.

"Ah, my swords," he swiftly checked to see if all his swords were in place and sighed in relief when they all seemed fine. "Ugh, but it really is gross…I feel sand everywhere. There's some even in my underwear," he complained, trying to brush himself off once he stood up.

"That's too much information," the woman muttered trying not to picture what she just heard.

"So how do we cross this?" The swordsman looked at the sandy surface which separated them from the rest of the path. The jungle was already so thick, it was impossible to go around it and not get lost or stopped by all the trees and bushes. They were barely cutting them and making a way as it is. Besides, they didn't know where was safe to step anymore.

"I guess if we climb this big tree we can get across by using these vines above the quicksand. They spread out all the way to the other side," Jane pointed at the greenery above them. There was a large tree with long, which had numerous vines hanging from them. If they used them, they could travel to the other side and to the other tree there then just climb down it.

"Great, more climbing," Daniel rolled his eyes.

"You have a better idea, spikey?" Jane grumbled, staring at him.

"Can't you just fly us there? It'd be easier to find the bridge in the air anyway," Daniel asked.

"No, I can't, for three reasons. First; I can only glide on wind currents, not fly freely in the air. Second; You are too heavy so I wouldn't be able to hold us both in the air anyway, and Thirdly; I can't fly through these treetops which means I would have to fly really high up and I can't do that for long," Jane explained in irritation.

"Fine, whatever. Let's do it. But I ain't savin' you this time," he warned, returning Jane's stare.

They started to climb the great tree trunk, but it proved to be even more difficult than when they were climbing the rocky cavern. The tree didn't have as many dents and things to hold onto, and the rough wood left splinters in their already injured hands. Even though they were a bit better at climbing together now, it still took them a long time before they even reached the first branch on which they could rest for a while. Luckily, the branches were wide and strong enough to hold them both without breaking.

"At this pace, we won't get to that bridge until midnight," Daniel complained.

"That's because you keep slowing me down," Jane commented bluntly.

"No, you're slowing _me_ down!" Daniel corrected, pointing at his chest with his thumb.

"If I didn't save you from the quicksand you'd be dead by now," Jane argued.

"And if I didn't grab you in that hole before, you would've fallen down and broke your neck," Daniel reminded her.

They both glared at each other in silence for a while, before they both sighed and looked away. "There's no point in fighting. I guess we're even now," Daniel finally said.

"Yeah…we're even…" Jane agreed and kept silent again. She stood up, looking at the few remaining branches they had to climb on before they would reach the vines.

Daniel followed her lead and they started climbing up again. "We're going to step on that right one, then the one up on the left," he showed her. They would agree on each next move they made, since they had to jump to reach a lot of those branches. If they didn't decide beforehand, they could jump towards different ones which meant they'd just pull at each other and fall back down into the quicksand bellow. Finally, Daniel gave a signal and both of them jumped to the last branch, grabbing it with both of their hands and pulling themselves up on it, surprisingly in perfect unison.

"Alright, now the worst part," Jane gazed at the vines that were hanging from some higher treetops. They had to grab a hold of them and swing their way to the other ones, all in perfect timing and never reaching for the same one or they'll fall. The vines were neither large nor strong enough to hold both of their weights. But they had to pick the ones closest to each other, since the string was still connecting them and didn't give them much room to separate. "Ready?" Jane looked back at the swordsman and he nodded. "Go for that one and I'll got for this one," she pointed at the vines. "Ready, set…jump!"

Both of them jumped together and grabbed at the designated vines. Together they swung forward, but the string kept them close together.

"ooooOOOoooOOOoooOOO!" Daniel yelled out a strange cry as if he was the king of the jungle while swinging on the vine.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jane shouted, staring at him like he went crazy.

"It's a norm in this kind of situation while you're swinging from the vines in the jungle," Daniel explained loudly.

"How would you know? Do you often swing on vines," she commented, unimpressed by his words.

"It's a man's romance…not like a woman would understand," the swordsman said back to her before they both swung close enough to another vine and reached it. Daniel felt he was slowly going backwards and knew he had to grab hold of the other vine and swing forward again, but he also had to wait for Jane to do it at the same time, or they'll lose their sync and fall.

Jane didn't take long before she grabbed the other vine and both of them swung forward again. They continued like this, moving until they finally reached the tree top of the tree on the other side. On Jane's signal they let go of their last vines and stepped onto the large branch.

"We made it!" Daniel smiled and looked at Jane who was also smirking in relief.

"So we did," she answered. For a moment the hostile atmosphere between them was gone as they both celebrated their success. However, as soon as they realized this, they both frowned and put their guard back up again.

"Let's just get down carefully," Jane muttered and they wordlessly started climbing down the tree, trying to forget the awkward moment that just happened between them.

They continued on, walking through the jungle carefully. Daniel had his sword out, cutting at the bushes in their way and making a way for them so they could proceed more easily.

"How much longer is it?" The woman could feel the sweat dripping off of her, the clothes sticking to her skin uncomfortably in this hot weather.

"How should I now," Daniel responded, already agitated and losing patience. They were both dirty, hurt and sweaty, as the sun kept burning down on them. It couldn't get much worse than this, or so they thought. A strange buzzing sound came to their ears as something traveled through the thick jungle. "What's that sound?" Daniel stopped to listen.

"Probably some annoying mosquitoes, the place is full of them," Jane responded nonchalantly, and slapped at the mosquito that flew onto her arm. She flicked the splattered mosquito from her arm, but felt another bite on her neck instantly.

"It sounds bigger than that, though," Daniel wasn't convinced and he slashed at the bushes where the sound was coming from. However, what he actually slashed at was a large nest the size of a big boulder. What came out, was a swarm of angry horned bees whose house was just damaged. They were the size of a grown man's head and had fuzzy purple mane with dark stripes on their butts. On their heads, instead of two normal antennas, were two large and sharp horns. On their butts were large, poisonous stingers. They were sharp and large enough to pierce and kill their enemy, and if the stinger wouldn't finish the job, the poison in it would. As soon as the swarm of bees realized the pair attacked their home, they charged at them with their horns ready.

"Horned bees!" Jane screamed. "Run for it!"

The two started running through the jungle, but the flora around them was slowing them down. What's more, they had to watch their each step while running since their ankles were connected.

Jane tripped over a rock on the ground and fell face first. She turned around just in time to see a stinger coming at her, but it was too late to dodge. She widened her eyes as the bees approached. However, just as it was about to hit, a loud metallic sound was heard. Jane was surprised even more when she saw Daniel standing in front of her and blocking the incoming stinger with his katana.

"You…protected me?" The woman could hardly believe it.

"Don't get the wrong idea; I just think it would be a bother to drag your corpse around, with our feet still attached," Daniel smirked as a bead of sweat traveled down his face. He pulled out his other katana and slashed at the bee, cutting it in half. "We'll have to stand here and fight," he added.

Jane smirked at his words and nodded, standing up and pulling her scythe from her back. "Agreed," she swung her scythe and took out two bees at once with her weapon.

However, fighting while attached to another person was even harder than they thought. Daniel tried to turn his body to get more acceleration and cut down two more bees, but the movement pulled on Jane's leg and she fell onto her side in the process. Just as she lost her footing and fell, a bee missed her with her horns and the woman swung up to cut it.

"Watch how you move, dammit!" She yelled at the swordsman angrily.

"_You_ watch how I move, I'm trying to fight here!" He responded and knelt to avoid the horns of another bee. He stuck his two swords in the air and cut alongside the giant bee's body as it flew above him. Just as he stood up, he saw a flash of metal with the corner of his eye and barely managed to dodge by crouching again before the scythe decapitated him. The scythe cut off a few strands of his spikey hair.

Jane danced around and spun her scythe above her head, almost cutting Daniel's head off in the process, as she got rid of the bees attacking her.

"Watch where you swing that giant thing!" This time it was the swordsman who complained. "You almost killed me!"

"Great, then I could've cut you into pieces and get rid of the extra weight on my foot," Jane responded angrily, dodging to the side as one bee attacked her before crouching down when another passed above her head.

As the two fought together they slowly started minding their own surroundings, taking their partner into account. Soon, their teamwork improved a little as they moved in sync with each other.

Jane swung her scythe and sliced five more bees, before pulling back with a spin. In the same instant, Daniel stepped forward, cutting six more with his two katana, while Jane covered his flank with her weapon. Then she swung the scythe vertically towards the sky, slicing the incoming animals while Daniel crouched and took care of the bees heading for Jane's stomach and torso. Then they both jumped into the air in unison to avoid the bees coming for them, turning around in the air and cutting the bees that were now behind them. Finally, the last bee fell to the ground. They were both panting hard, looking at the mess of dark animal blood and their corpses surrounding them.

"Piece of cake," Jane joked.

They both looked awful, though. Jane was muddy and Daniel's clothes were still covered in sand from their previous ordeals. What's more, they were both sweaty and stained with bee blood, with red mosquito bites on them and filled with small cuts and bruises from struggling through the jungle and all the climbing.

"That bridge better be near," Daniel scoffed and sliced another large bush in front of them with his sword, while putting the other back into its scabbard. As he did so, a view opened before them. It was a clearing a cliff up ahead, and they could hear loud, running water. The two practically ran forward, seeing the view of the steep, wooden bridge before them.

"We're finally here. We finally made it to the bridge!" Jane sighed in relief, feeling exhaustion enter her now that they finally reached their destination. But their misery was far from over; it was only just beginning.

"And we did it together," Daniel admitted, smirking at the woman next to him.

Jane gazed back at him and smirked as well, agreeing with him silently.

"Now all we have to do is cross this stupid bridge. I just want it to be over quickly," the man commented seeing that the bridge was suspended with old rope. The wooden boards it was made seemed old and were full of holes. The whole bridge didn't appear safe at all. Will they really be alright crossing this?

"Now, now, don't give up when you're so close!" A squawky voice from before sounded itself from one of the tall trees. The parrot was sitting there, parched on one of the branches and cleaning its feathered wing with its beak.

"It's you, stupid parrot! Oh you are so dead now!" Jane was about to send a shot of electricity towards the bird, but the parrot flew away and descended on the post on the other side of the bridge they were yet to cross.

"Good luck humans! Good luck humans!" It repeated twice as if mocking them.

"I hate that parrot," Daniel grumbled and Jane nodded in agreement.

"Let's continue," she added and they both walked towards the bridge.

The pair took a few steps on the unsteady bridge, with Jane going first and Daniel right behind her. That made it even more awkward to walk since they were still bound together, but there was no choice. However, after only a few steps, something jumped out of the water. It was a large alligator with rows of razor sharp teeth. They're front feet were actually more evolved than in regular alligators, so they were more like arms that they could use freely. On them were red boxing gloves. One alligator threw a punch towards the bridge where Jane and Daniel were standing. To avoid the animal, they both leaned on the right and the bridge swung to that side loosely. The pair yelled in surprise as the bridge swung unsafely and they had a feeling it would break at any moment. The two stumbled backwards until they were safely back on solid ground of the cliff.

They stared down to see there were numerous alligators in the river below and they could all jump really high. What's more, there was a large dorsal fin in the water from a much larger creature. It swam slowly and lazily through the water before rising its head and showing of a large dark blue snout with rows of enormous teeth. Its whole body was at least ten meters long, along with a tail which had sharp spikes on its end.

"Boxing gators and an aqua dinosaur? How are we supposed to cross this pool of deadly animals?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Ask the parrot? Come out and tell us how to cross this bridge," Jane yelled at the bird which was still parched on top of the post on the other side.

However the parrot stayed silent and only kept cleaning its feather with its beak.

"Well? Come out and tell us!" Daniel yelled as well, but it was no use.

Instead, another thing caught their eye. There was a person there, casually walking on the other side. He didn't stop even as he stepped onto the unsteady bridge, keeping perfect balance. Even though the bridge was swaying so strongly when Jane and Daniel tried walking on it, it was almost completely still now when this person was using it. The man was able to keep his balance steady enough to keep the bridge from swaying. The person had a white marine uniform with a white hat which covered their eyes and the blue marine insignia on it. Over his shoulders was draped a marine coat, which swayed on the wind while he walked.

"What the hell? A marine!?" Jane couldn't believe her eyes as this mysterious person suddenly came walking calmly out of the jungle and started walking over the old bridge like it was nothing. What's more, when one of the alligators from below jumped up and tried to punch him, the marine just reached out towards the incoming animal with an open palm as if commanding it to stop. Soon, the alligator just whined and pulled back, falling back down into the river without trying to attack the marine.

"People!" Suddenly the mystery man exclaimed happily. "I certainly like to see people on this island. I'm so happy and even more so when seeing young people together," his smile never faltered as he talked. "I'm so sorry we have to meet like this," he sighed in sudden sadness as if remembering something. His gaze stayed on Daniel and the man blinked a few times in wonder. "Daniel? Smoker's son, Daniel? The son of our Captain and later Vice Admiral? You're still alive!" He exclaimed happily.

"I don't know you," Daniel answered bluntly without any hesitation. The blunt answer almost made the other man fall down from shock and disappointment. "Should I know you?" The swordsman continued, tilting his head in wonder.

But it seemed like the marine completely ignored Daniel's words as he kept on talking, unbothered. "Those pictures you drew were beautiful. And you had such a strong handshake even though you were only six years old. But I think what I like most about you is how much you resemble your father," the man laughed.

Daniel stayed silent for a while longer, racking his brain to try and remember this person in front of him. Then suddenly his eyes widened in realization. "Grey? Grey Akurouto?"

The man laughed and nodded strongly to confirm Danie's question. That's when he noticed the older woman next to Daniel and stared at her in puzzlement. "Who is this girl you're chained together with? Wait, why are you in chains anyway!?"

Daniel opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped as an idea popped into his head. Telling this guy about the real reason why they're here probably wouldn't be the best idea, especially since he is a marine. '_We need to think of a cover-up story,'_ Daniel thought. Suddenly, he turned back to Jane, took her by the waist and brought her closer before kissing her on the lips.

The woman was so startled that she didn't even know how to react at first, but soon her confusion turned into sheer anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you prick!" She was just about to grab at her scythe and decapitate Daniel when he stopped her with his speech. Paragraph: then he lets go and Jane is obviously angry with him.

"It's a funny story. We just wanted to get closer so we tied ourselves like this. It's a love thing," he lied nonchalantly and shrugged his shoulders. _'If he breaks this string then it's an automatic loss for both of us and our whole crew_. _And we can't tell him we're taking that old man's test nor can we mention anything about Razi, being pirates or the Going Merry,'_ he thought frantically.

Jane wanted to protest, but then realized why Daniel was lying. They couldn't really tell the truth to a marine even if he did know Daniel. 'But couldn't he have come up with a better story!?' She thought angrily, trying to hide a faint blush on her cheeks. Do they really have to pretend to be a couple at a time like this?! She saw the marine staring at her as if silently asking for confirmation, and she reluctantly nodded her head in silence.

Akurouto stared at both of them as if there was something wrong with their heads. "Wel….ok…Who am I to judge other's love," he shrugged, still a bit skeptical about the whole matter. However he decided to let it go for now as he had other matter to attend to. "While you're both already here…," he started rummaging through the pocket of his pants. Both Jane and Daniel stiffened, on guard in case he pulls out some kind of weapon, but it was only a piece of paper. A bounty poster, actually. "I was chasing this boy named Nautilus O' Shawn. He's dangerous and should be brought to me dead or alive. I followed his trace to this island. Have you seen him?" He showed the picture on the poster to the pair.

The poster read; _Nautilus O'Shawn, pirate, bounty; 50 000 000 Belli,wanted dead or alive for murder of marines, stealing and other crimes against the World Government. Affiliation: Trouble Sand Pirates._

However, both Jane and Daniel shook their heads after reading the bounty poster.

Akurouto sighed in disappointment. "I see. Well if you see him, don't try to kill him. Just let me know so I can do my job. Here," he handed Daniel a small den den mushi. "You can contact me with this if you see anything suspicious."

Daniel nodded and took the den den mushi, putting it in his pocket.

"So…what are you two doing here on this island anyway?" Akurouto narrowed his eyes in question.

"Uh…lover's vacation…we wanted some time just the two of us," Daniel lied, almost spitting blood from saying something so disgusting. This old shrewd for his lover? Not in his lifetime!

Jane had to force herself not to make a disgusted face, and just nodded silently. She couldn't even bring herself to confirm it with words. She could still feel the tingling sensation on her lips from Daniel's kiss and wanted to wipe her mouth off as soon as possible.

"Well, enjoy your…lover's vacation. It really is a surprise, seeing you here Daniel. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances, but I have to go back to my search now. That Nautilus has to be brought to justice soon, just like all the pirates," Grey Akurouto concluded their conversation and nodded as a goodbye at Jane and Daniel.

Daniel gulped as he heard the part about the pirates, knowing that he _was_ one at the moment. "R-right, see you around, Grey. Maybe we'll see each other again and catch up on all times," the swordsman said his goodbye.

Jane stayed quiet, skeptically staring at the marine's back as Grey walked away on the ridge, before running into the jungle again and disappearing.

"Dammit, now there are even marines on this island?! We'll have to warn the others," Daniel sighed, feeling overwhelmed by all the sudden developments today.

Jane, however, had different concerns at the moment. A fist suddenly flew right into the man's stomach, and he let out a pained grunt, unable to even catch his breath. She spat to the ground and started rubbing her mouth. "Who cares about that?! More importantly what was with all those stupid talk about the lovers' vacation?! Couldn't you think of anything else?! And you even kissed me, disgusting!"

Daniel also rubbed his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt, managing to get back up to his feet. "I'm the one disgusted here! I couldn't think of anything else, and I didn't hear _you_ having any better ideas either!"

"That's because I was too disgusted to think from your actions! Bird brain!"

"Old hag!"

"_Squawk_! Bird brain! Old hag! _Squawk_!"

Both pirates stopped and stared at the other side of the bridge, where the parrot was still standing and gazing at them, mockingly repeating their every word.

"You there, instead of repeating after us, why don't you come and give us a tip on how to cross this bridge or something?!" Jane yelled in anger, but there was no reponse.

"Hurry…The test is still ongoing," the bird finally said, tilting it's feathery head to the side.

Daniel sighed. "There has to be a way across. We got this far, we should be able to do this."

"Well…we came this far together…so we need to work together to cross this bridge, too, right?" Jane smirked as if she just got an idea.

"What do you have planned?" Daniel furrowed his eyebrows as he gazed at her.

X_X_X_X_X

Jane and Daniel ran towards the bridge, stepping on it with confidence. After they revised Jane's plan there was only one thing to do now; test it.

The Skypiean took out her scythe and went ahead, while Daniel followed close after her. She held her scythe in both hands, horizontally, using it as a tool for keeping balance. On the other hand, Daniel had both of his katana out and held them close to his body, in an x stance in front of his chest. The two moved slowly like this, stepping on the same boards that Jane deemed safe. They had to keep perfectly balanced so the old bridge wouldn't move too much.

They managed to come to half of the bridge when the attacks started. One of the alligators jumped high up and swung at them from their right. As soon as Daniel saw it, he yelled, "Go to the left!" Both Jane and the swordsman leaned sharply to their left, making the whole bridge swingy quickly to that side. They grabbed the rope as hard as they could, holding on while the whole bridge rushed to the left. The alligator missed them and had to dive back in the water.

"Ha! Avoidance, success!" Daniel exclaimed happily. Just then another of the alligators jumped to their left and tried to attack. They leaned sharply to the right this time, and the bridge swung to the other side. Daniel also took both of his swords, seeing that the animal could still reach them and attack. In midair, the alligator threw a punch, but Daniel used both his swords to block and repel the beast. It was pushed away and had to dive back down again.

The pair proceeded with this the whole time, while slowly crossing the bridge. That's when Jane took another step onto a wooden board that was already rotten, and fell through. "Kya!" The woman yelped in surprise as she started falling, but was luckily stopped when Daniel grabbed onto her scythe and stopped her fall. He had to let go of his two katana which were now dangerously lying on the bridge, while he grabbed the rope on the side of the bridge with one hand and held onto Jane's scythe with the other. The skypiean was grabbing onto the other end of the handle with both her hands, trying to climb back up. "If you let me fall, I swear I'll haunt you forever," the woman yelled up at Daniel who was trying to find a good foothold to prop himself again and pull her up.

Just then the alligators swimming fast in the river as a commotion started down below, as if they could smell the predicament the two pirates were in. Yet instead of attacking, the alligators swam away, as if giving space to something bigger and much bigger that was to come.

Daniel noticed the movement in the water as the large blue dorsal fin moved below them, before completely disappearing under the water. However, the swordsman could feel this was far from over. Instead, his keen instincts were telling him something dangerous was about to happen. "Jane…we have to move, now!" With all his strength, Daniel pulled the woman upwards. At the same time, Jane unveiled her large wings and flapped with them once to get a push upwards. With that final action Daniel fell forward, and Jane fell on top of him, back onto the bridge.

"Uf!" The man grunted feeling the woman's elbow sink right into his stomach. "Get off and run…," he managed to squeeze out.

Jane stood back up on her wobbly feet, feeling the bridge beneath her feet sway dangerously. She set her scythe back on her back and Daniel grabbed and unsheathed his swords back on his waist.

"We'll have to run for it. Go!" He pushed the skypiean not wasting any time for explanation.

By Daniel's alarmed expression, Jane knew it was urgent and did as she was told without asking unnecessary questions. The two started running towards the other side of the bridge, balancing on the swaying contraption and skipping over the holes and rotten wooden boards. They both held onto the rope at both sides, for at least some support while running.

When they were already near the other side, the true terror from below showed itself. The aqua dinosaur jumped up, towards the bridge, rising into the air along with the water of the river. It opened its gigantic mouth, showing rows of majestic teeth. The gargantuan beast rose higher into the air with a slow but steady pace.

"Jump!" Daniel yelled and the pirates both jumped towards the other side, clutching the rope rails of the bridge.

The dinosaur's mouth missed them as they managed to dodge with their jump, but its maws easily took half of the bridge with it, destroying it and splitting it in half. The beast fell back into the water with a large splash, its teeth crushing the rope and wood of the overpass. The half of the bridge that remained, now appearing more as a ladder than a bridge, was still held by the rope connected to the posts on the other side.

Both Daniel and Jane screamed as they were still holding onto the rope and wood of the remaining bridge, quickly swinging towards the wall of the cliff.

"Hold on!" Jane yelled, holding the bridge for dear life as they were carried right into the cliff. If they didn't do anything, they'd surely collide with the cliff with too much force and be crushed or fall into the water. Thinking quickly, she once more opened her wings and started flapping with them, pushing against the cliff to try and slow down their movement. She succeeded in slowing them down enough so they didn't crash into the wall of the cliff with too much force. Both pirates sighed in relief as they were saved, but definitely weren't out of peril. "Come on, let's climb up before that creature comes after us again," Jane sighed and they both started climbing the remaining half of the bridge as if it were a ladder.

When they finally felt the grass beneath their fingertips, the two pirates climbed up onto the cliff and reached the other side. Both of them sat on the ground while panting, staring down at the river that could've easily became their watery grave.

"We made it…," Daniel commented and gazed down at the golden string binding their ankles.

Jane laughed like only a person who just avoided death could. "Indeed, we did. I still can't believe it," she stood up, helping her comrade up as well.

"Congratulations! _Squawk_!" The voice of the parrot came from a nearby tree as it stared down at them.

"It's you! That's it, I'm going to fry your little feathery ass!" Jane yelled at the bird and headed towards the parrot only to stumble and fall on her face. She forgot that her leg was still bound to the still swordsman behind her. The woman sighed, clutching her fists as she silently fumed in anger.

"You could do that…But if you kill me, how will you know what's the next part of the test? _Squawk_!" The parrot chimed as if taunting the skypiean.

Jane stood back up and glared at the bird with narrowed eyes. "Well? What is it?"

"It's actually your last part of the test. Come with me," the parrot fluttered its wings and started flying deeper into the jungle.

"Hey, wait up, we can't run that fast, we're tied, remember!?" Daniel called after the bird, but the parrot just continued to fly through the jungle without a word, expertly avoiding the flora in its way. The pair started running after it, trying to keep up as best as they could.

Just when they thought they lost the bird, Daniel pushed away some vines to see a magnificent view before them. It was an open area, with the sea of green grass spreading out in front of them. In this large pasture, gigantic dinosaurs walked around, eating the grass or the leaves on the nearby trees of the jungle. With their long necks, they could easily reach even the highest treetop. It was a whole herd of Brachiosaurus dinosaurs. Even Daniel and Jane fell silent for a few seconds at the magnificent sight before them, their jaws slack.

"Amazing…" The swordsman muttered, but then noticed the parrot near them again.

"Now it is time for your final part of the test," Ari, the parrot, said. "On one of these Brachiosaurus' is an item tied to its head; the item is a small chest with something special inside. If you get the chest, you can keep the treasure inside; very pirate-like, isn't it?" The bird snickered at his own joke. "Well then…best of luck to you," Ari chimed and fluttered his wings, taking flight again. He flew towards the herd of dinosaurs, passing them by and avoiding their long necks and tails without a problem. He swiftly flew through the legs of one walking Brachiosaurus and over the rising head of the other. Finally, the parrot landed on the head of one specific Brachiosaurus which walked through the herd. It was an old male, standing at 9 meters of height and was 25 meters long with its long neck and even longer tail, which swished around while the animal walked with heavy steps. On its head was a small metal chest tied down securely.

Jane and Daniel glanced at each other with an exasperated gaze. They obviously thought of the same thing; _'Oh, brother…' _With a sigh, the two pirates nodded at each other. The sooner they get this over with, the sooner they'll be released from this golden string.

The two walked closer to the heard, then ran towards it, and finally jumped in the air, grabbing a moving tail from one of the dinosaurs.

"At least we already perfected climbing while bound," Jane commented sarcastically as the two started climbing onto the back of the said dinosaur. The tail swung left and right, making them almost fall from the force, but the pirates kept going, holding onto it tightly. The animal didn't even seem to feel that it carried two humans on its back since its skin was so thick.

When they reached the beginning of the neck of the Brachiosaurus, Daniel climbed up as high as he could with the string on Jane's ankle pulling him down.

"Do you see it?!" The Skypiean shouted over the sound of large footsteps of the dinosaur.

The swordsman scouted the area until he noticed a particular Brachiosaurus with a chest on its head. "It's over there!" Daniel pointed in the direction of the animal before expertly sliding down the neck. "Alright, we're jumping on my signal, just like before. Ready, set…go!" The two pirates jumped in unison on the passing Brachiosaurus, getting a bit closer to the one dinosaur they needed. They used all their learned skills from before, like climbing and jumping together while bound, to carry out this last task.

Then they slid down and grabbed the swishing tail of the said dinosaur, waiting for the tail to move in their wanted direction. When it did, they let go, and the force of the swing sent them flying into another Brachiosaurus. However, a new dinosaur suddenly appeared in their way, so Jane grabbed Daniel and flapped her wings to rise them up so they wouldn't crash into the large body of the animal. She glided in the air and settled them down onto another dinosaur's head when she felt she was losing the strength to glide. From there they slid down its back, all the way to its tail like a slide, which flung them in the air. The two landed on their feet on yet another dinosaur and jumped from its back, towards the tail of the one they were after. Finally, the pirates were in the middle of the herd, where the particular Brachiosaurus with the chest on its head awaited. It grazed the grass on the ground while making satisfied rumbling noises, and completely ignoring the due which managed to grab onto its tail.

Just when they thought they were safe, holding onto its tail, the Brachiosaurus swung with it to the side and then into the air sharply.

"Waaah!" Jane and Daniel yelled as they were unable to hold on and were propelled high into the air. They flailed with their arms and legs, but managed to fall back down onto the Brachiosaurus' back with a loud grunt. "Oof!" As if the force from their fall awoken the animal, it rose its head and started walking with its heavy body towards the jungle. The pair could feel the rocking of its body as it moved and the movement of every muscle in its back that flexed.

Slowly and carefully, the two started crawling on its back, inching towards the neck. "I'll go first," Jane said and started climbing the neck, clutching onto the thick skin underneath. Daniel followed right behind her, careful so that the string wouldn't pull her back.

The woman managed to get to the dinosaur's head, reaching out her arm as far as it would go. She could feel the metallic chest with the tips of her fingers. "Just a bit more…" She climbed closer to its head, and grabbed the chest. "I got it!" Her loud exclaimed must've alarmed the Brachiosaurus as it suddenly turned its neck sharply. Jane and Daniel slipped and the woman could feel she was staring to lose the ground beneath her feet. She managed to steady herself, but the chest slipped between her fingers and started falling. Daniel jumped after it quickly.

"_Phew_," the swordsman sighed in relief. He was holding the chest with one hand as he was able to grab it in the air. However, his whole body was swaying from the side of the dinosaur's head as it walked. His feet were still on the head, being held by Jane who managed to grab onto Daniel before he fell to the ground along with the chest. The swordsman stared right into the yellow eye of the dinosaur as he swayed in front of it.

"I'd say, this is a test success," Jane smirked, pulling Daniel back up onto the animal's head. "Let's get off quickly," she suggested.

Just as they were about to find the safest way off of the gigantic dinosaur, a loud noise echoed throughout the field. A shout and loud laughter was heard, just before something sharp sliced the air and one of Brachiosaurus' heads with it. At that moment, a roar was heard from the leader of the herd and all the Brachiosaurs started running towards the jungle.

"Whoa!" Daniel almost fell off as their dinosaur started stomping across the clearing. The rocking of its body quickened and the pair almost fell off. Instead, the slid down its back and grabbed onto its thick hide on the side. "We need to jump!" Daniel exclaimed and both jumped off at the same time, landing in the tall grass below.

However, before them was a running herd of dinosaurs that didn't even notice the two small humans as they continued running from some unknown predator in fear.

"Uuh, I don't think this was such a good idea," Jane said as she saw numerous large stomping feet coming towards them. The large bodies rushed towards them, paying no mind where they stepped. Jane and Daniel dodged at every turn, trying to avoid the large legs coming at them. They would rush to the side to avoid one foot, only to almost get squashed by another. After the herd finally moved away and disappeared somewhere in the jungle with a loud noise of stomping and breaking trees, the duo of pirates was left in the clearing, panting and clutching to the small metal chest.

"I wonder what spooked them so much," Jane wondered, still trying to catch her breath.

Suddenly a new voice came from somewhere in the tall grass. "I wonder, I wonder…Let me give you three guesses!" It was a high pitched voice of an unknown woman. She laughed loudly as her voice boomed across the clearing.

"It wasn't an animal, but it was definitely a predator! I wonder what it was!" Another voice came, this time it was a man's.

"Tch, don't talk while I'm having my introduction!" The woman yelled sharply at the unknown man.

"You're the one messing up _my_ introduction, stupid woman!" The man responded angrily.

Jane and Daniel glanced around them, but they couldn't see anyone from the tall grass. The voices seemed to be coming from all around them. Suddenly, that sound of cutting the air was heard again. Jane recognized where it was coming from and yelled, "Get down," before jumping to the ground and pulling Daniel with her. Above their heads a metal weapon that looked like a boomerang with rigged edges swished by. It circled around them, cutting all the grass, before returning back to its owner.

The man caught it easily between his fingers. The tall grass around Jane, Daniel and the two newcomers fell to the ground, cut. The pirates slowly stood back up and saw the strange pair for the first time. It was indeed a man and a woman.

The woman wore a black letter suit that tightly covered her hourglass figure. Her hair was blonde and straight, but reached all the way down to her knees, and it went completely in contrast with her tanned face. However the most interesting feature on her were her weapons, which were actually metal claws on her fingers. Yet they weren't put over her nails or strapped to her fingers. Instead, it appeared that her every real fingernail was replaced by a metal claw which was now stuck deep into the flesh of her fingertips. The claws were sharp and glistened dangerously on the afternoon sun.

The man was tall and lean, wearing simple army boots for marine, dark cargo pant and a shirt. He had a long, blood red coat that reached all the way to the ground. When he made a step, it was heavy, and it made a metallic sound as if all his weapons were clacking together, hidden inside that coat and around his body. On his right forearm was a chain, strapped around the arm with the end hanging from it. The man smiled with a large grin filled with razor sharp metal teeth, as he stared fixed his short black hair and gazed right into Jane. However, it was hard to say since he didn't have any irises, but only whites in his eyes. He clenched his gloved hands that had numerous thin wires attached to them and said, "I'll be takin' out the trash first…starting with that woman. She irritates me," he growled.

"Tch, all women irritate you…That's why you're such a lousy son of a bitch," the woman spat out, looking at the man with disgust. "Honest, all men are such pigs!" She then stared at Daniel murderously and licked her full lips covered in bright red lipstick. "That's why I'll kill him first," she gestured towards the swordsman.

"Don't talk about me, woman! It's annoying even listening to you," the man responded bitterly.

"Then just die, so you won't have to," the woman chimed.

"I'll kill you before I die," the man responded.

Jane and Daniel stared at each other in wonder. It didn't take a genius to realize these were Umbrage's men, Jen warned them about. Indeed, the basterd were here on Little Garden, seeking trouble. But what really surprised the pirates was something else; "Wow, they're worse than we are," Daniel commented and the Skypiean nodded in agreement. "But…" He looked down and they both saw that their ankles were still attached with that golden string. "They have an advantage over us," he grumbled, hating to admit it.

Jane sighed as she silently fumed with rage. She's really going to boil Ari when she sees that bird again. "Where is that stupid parrot when you need it, dammit!" She shouted loudly in anger.


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter was written by my partner BloodyMarryMe who says he won't be able to help after this arc. I don't know if he'll come back. All I can say is enjoy this fight and the next one because it may be the only exciting fights left in this story. But then again I like to think my story is about more than just fights. Please read and review. **

Chapter 19

The two Umbrage's henchmen ignored Jane's cry as they were focused completely on battling with each other using their sharp tongues and insults as weapons. It almost made Daniel want to clear his throat to get their attention, but before he was able to, a hand rested on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see the woman pirate giving him a pointed look.

"Let's hurry and sneak away while they're busy arguing," Jane suggested in a whisper.

"What? You want us to run? That would be too dishonorable!" Daniel instantly growled back, but the woman wouldn't hear of it.

"And what are we to do while we're tied together like this," she juggled her tied ankle where the thin golden string still shone in the sunlight.

She had a point this time, as much as the swordsman hated to admit it. "Fine…Just this once," he muttered in resignation.

The two pirates turned their backs to the henchmen, trying to reach the tall grass again and leave without being noticed. However, a sudden rattling came from behind and a large chain flew above them, slamming into the ground right between Jane and Daniel. Its end, which had a spiked metal ball, crashed into the ground and showered them with pieces of it. Both pirates turned simultaneously towards the duo, shock and surprise written on their faces.

The other two were now staring at them with deadly glares, all bickering between them over.

"It seems the little mice are trying to escape, Kaar," the woman chimed with a sigh.

"Now we can't let that happen, can we Mirai," the man added with a lighthearted tone. Still, his expression was anything but pleased and happy at the moment, as he stared at Daniel and Jane.

The two said pirates glared right back at the duo, giving them their most deadly expressions. "I guess there's no escaping this after all," Daniel muttered and pulled out Aku. Just for good measure he unsheathed Tsuki as well, determined to use his Nitoryuu skills.

Beside him, Jane pulled out the large scythe from her back, holding it easily in one hand. "Fine, then so be it. I need some stress release anyway," she sang in a taunting voice towards Umbrage's men.

The man now known as Kaar smirked at her only for a second before he was moving. With bewildering speed, the man pulled back his long coat and started taking out throwing knives from out of it, sending three or four at the time at her.

Jane twirled around herself, slashing with her long scythe to block two incoming knives. With a clang they bounced off her metal weapon and fell to the ground. This time she was mindful of her weapon, not almost beheading Daniel in the process. At the same time, the swordsman used his two katana which he crossed together, to block the other knives much like Jane did. The two of them passing through all those trials tied together worked, as for once their teamwork was better than ever.

They both then jumped backwards and turned to one side each while still in the air, to dodge more knives coming their way, before they landed on their feet again and then leaned as far back as they could to dodge two knives heading straight for their heads. Jane barely managed to dodge them as they went right passed her skin, making her feel the air flow there.

The pirate duo straightened back up and the woman narrowed her eyes at Kaar, giving him a deadly smirk and a lick of her lips much like Mirai did just moments before. "My turn." She summoned her electrical powers, making the blue light surge down her arm and through her weapon. She swung with the scythe down at the ground and the surge of electrical power blasted the grass and mud there. A powerful force traveled through the ground right towards the man and the woman standing there and both had to dodge by jumping on each side, away from the electrical attack.

"My, my, don't they work together nicely," Mirai mocked. Then her grin widened even more when she noticed a shining thread between the duo's ankles. "Now…isn't that interesting…A fetish of yours, perhaps?" She mocked on, pointing at the bond between the two pirates keeping them unable to separate for more than a meter or so.

"Heh, it must be horrible being tied to a woman all the time. Let me help you out…and release you from your suffering by giving you death," the man commented with a wide sneer.

"The only ones who'll be dying are you two," Daniel muttered and launched forward, Jane close behind him. They didn't trip over themselves or pulled at one another's leg anymore. They did their attack in perfect synchronicity.

Daniel was aiming for the woman as he used one katana to try and slash her head while the other went for her abdomen. The woman revealed her metal claws and stopped both katana with both hands, holding the metal between her dangerous fingernails. They were so close, they could feel each other's breath as they battled for strength and dominance, both trying to push away and slice at the other.

At the same time, Jane focused on Kaar as she jumped a bit higher in the air and sent her scythe down on his head with a deadly shout. The man grabbed at his large metal boomerang he used before and put it high above his head to block her sharp weapon. However, the ex-bandit was far from over. She let go of the long scythe with one hand and called upon her devil fruit powers again, making her palm glow blue once more. She was about to slam her electrical palm right onto the man's face, frying him. Yet, her hand was stopped with his gloved one. He easily held back her scythe with his one hand that held the boomerang, just as he intertwined his fingers on the other hand with her own, grabbing her palm.

Jane's blue eyes widened in disbelief. "That's impossible," she whispered, seeing that her power seeped away into his hand yet nothing happened. He was supposed to be electrocuted from the moment her hand made contact with his, yet nothing seemed to be happening. Her gaze fell down onto his black glove with colorful tiny wires going through it. "What is that?" She demanded angrily, but the man just sneered in response.

"Don't think you're invincible just because you're a devil fruit user, _woman_!" He spat the word just before he slid his boomerang to the side, moving her scythe with it and making Jane open for any attack. He still clutched her other hand so tightly she had to gasp from the pain, sure that he was soon going to break her wrist if she didn't get away. He slammed her into the ground hard, making a small crater appear beneath her. He was about to finish the job by stomping on her stomach but Jane swiftly dodged by rolling to the side.

Daniel allowed himself a quick glance at his partner as he saw her in distress. "Jane!" he called out to make sure she was still alive and well, unable to see well from the cloud of dust Kaar's attack created. Instead of words, he got his response in the form of a slight thug at his ankle, signaling that she was still alive and moving at least. However, the small glance proved to be a mistake. He thought Mirai would be unable to do anything as she stood at a standstill with him, both pushing their weapons together. Yet he didn't expect her to use her leg to kick at his shin before sweeping his feet out from under him. With a thud, Daniel fell with his back on the ground, and saw a flash of metal as Mirai used the opportunity to straighten her fingers and stab at him from above. Quickly, he parried her with Tsuki, blocking her sharp fingers. With his other katana, he went to stab her through, but the woman moved sideways to dodge just in time and instead slashed at him.

Two hands pulled Daniel back and he felt himself slide across the ground, still on his back. The sharp claws that would surely rip open his throat, missed their mark, and instead slashed at his chest. He felt a burning pain there that soon converted into a sting as four red marks appeared on his chest, beneath his now-ripped shirt. He looked up and behind him to see Jane who managed to grab him in the last second and save him from death. Just as she was to pull him away, she swung with her wings forward to give her more force in swiftly dodging as she jumped backwards to avoid Mirai's deadly claws.

"You saved me," Daniel sighed in relief, sitting back up and putting a hand on his bloodied chest.

"Keep the thanks for later and concentrate on the fight!" Jane scowled at him as she usually would. He noticed she wasn't standing as straight as before, probably enduring the pain in her back from the attack Kaar gave her previously.

Just as she scolded him, however, a chain flew towards her. Jane dodged the spiked end of it, but the chain still coiled traitorously around her neck. Just before it was to tighten around it, she managed to put a forearm between the chain and her neck, preventing it from suffocating her. She whimpered as it bit painfully into the skin of her forearm and put pressure on the bone underneath.

Daniel quickly got up and was about to help her get it off, but was too late.

Kaar laughed menacingly. "Good thing you are connected...you can enjoy the same fate," he called out to them and grabbed the chain with both hands. The muscles on his arms strained and numerous veins popped out as he started spinning his arms and the chain with them.

Jane was forcefully tugged to the side, and Daniel had no choice but to follow as they were connected. "Waah!" They both ended up in the air, being circled around like two stuffed toys on a string.

Mirai laughed in a screechy voice at the pair's pathetic sight while they were spun around and bashed into rocks and ground around them.

"Ha!" With a mighty call, Kaar slammed the chain onto the ground once more before swinging them into a large boulder and destroying it with their bodies.

Jane and Daniel groaned in pain as numerous cuts and bruises appeared on their skin. The swordsman could feel at least one of his ribs broken, and Jane's one wing twitched in pain as it stood at an abnormal angle. They tried to scurry back to their feet but barely managed to get to their hands and knees. When they did, Mirai strolled over to them in a casual sway of her hips before swinging her leg and kicking Daniel right under his chin with her foot. The man grunted in pain and fell back to the ground, rolling onto his back. He could feel the metallic taste of blood in his mouth from the hard kick.

Jane was then approached by Kaar as he took a fistful of her hair and snapped her head back so she could look him in the eye. "Women…so weak," he muttered.

"Tch, shut up! Don't compare me to this scum," Mirai complained as she spat the words at her companion.

"Whatever. Just hold the swordsman down while I finish them off," Kaar instructed her and she grabbed the shoulder of the pirate.

Just as Kaar was about to send his finishing blow to Jane with a short sword he pulled from inside his coat, he heard Daniel snort in laughter, making his arm stop in the air. He looked back at the white-haired swordsman on the ground, struggling to get up again. "Is your death that funny?" The man asked while narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"No..I was just thinking," Daniel started, taking a break to ease up his panting and spit out some blood from his mouth. A trail of it slid down his lips and chin. "It's pathetic...listening to his every command. I bet he'll take all the credit for taking us down once you return to Umbrage, too," Daniel stared at Mirai mockingly from under his brows.

The woman gritted her teeth in annoyance and kicked Daniel in the stomach. "Shut up, you simple-minded fool!"

Kaar sighed in impatience. "Don't listen to his provocation. Just hold him down and let's finish this," he commented and was about to strike at the struggling Jane again.

"Wait," suddenly Mirai called out to her partner. "Indeed, why should you get the satisfaction of finishing them off? _You_ hold them down and _I'll_ kill them," she suggested, letting go of Daniel and stepping closer to Kaar. She adjusted her metal claws, ready to use them, and they clicked as she moved her fingers.

Kaar narrowed his eyes at her. "Why would I do that? I was the one to bring them down anyway. I am the one who deserves to finish them off," he reasoned angrily at the blonde woman.

It seemed his words pushed a switch inside of her as her eyes set ablaze with anger. "So you really are trying to take all the credit, aren't you!? You bastard! I fought just as much as you did!"

"Ha! You were barely able to handle the swordsman on your own! It was my move that brought them to their knees!" Kaar argued on and stepped closer to the woman to tower over her menacingly.

However, the woman wasn't so easily intimidated. She stepped closer to her companion as well, bringing forth her one clawed hand and silently threatening him with it. "You want to see exactly how well I can handle myself!? I'll show it on you, right now! I won't let you take all the glory for this!"

"Bring it on, woman!" The man yelled back, taking a boomerang in one hand and a short sword in the other. The chain was still tightly coiled around his forearm, while the other end still strapped Jane's hand and neck.

The two appeared to completely forget about their two pirate enemies as instead they started arguing and even fighting each other. The blonde swung her clawed hand at Kaar's face while he responded by blocking with a short sword and almost beheading her with the metal boomerang. Still, she was too quick and nimble for him, dodging by leaning backwards and rising herself on her hands, while she kicked the man in the chin with her feet. The man stumbled backwards and responded into throwing his short sword at her and then proceeding to throw his daggers as well.

Jane and Daniel exchanged a quick glance as they still lay on the ground, forgotten and saved at the moment. With some unspoken understanding, they both nodded and stood up at the same time while Kaar and Mirai were still close enough to them yet not paying attention. The two pirates quickly stood up as Daniel yelled "Now!" as a signal.

They both dropped their weapons while they were being tossed around, but they still had some Aces up their sleeves. The White hunter's son still had Yoko Rashien sheathed at his hip. He leaped towards Kaar while unsheathing the katana in the process. The cursed sword, still mysterious to even its wielder, glistened in the rays of sun from its cutting edge, the sharpest of all his swords. Kaar turned just in time to block, using his metal boomerang to meet the attack coming at him. He sneered in a mocking expression at Daniel's failed attempt to take him by surprise and kill him.

With all his skill and might, Daniel swung his sword, ignoring the boomerang weapon that was in his way. The two weapons collided, making a clashing sound of scraping metal as they did. For a while it seemed like everything stood still, but then Kaar's weapon gave away and the katana sliced through it. It didn't only slice through the boomerang but the owner of it as well, as it lodged itself deeply in Kaar's shoulder and traveled down across his chest and torso in a diagonal line. Blood spurted out of the large wound, along with a pained cry from the beaten man. He fell to the floor, limp and lifeless.

At the very same time that Daniel leaped towards Kaar, Jane did the same, but her aim was focused on the blonde woman. She didn't have her scythe, but her devil fruit powers were still of good use to her and she hoped Mirai didn't have any similar tricks and gadgets like Kaar did to cancel out her electricity. Just like Kaar, Mirai noticed the attack coming and went to meet it with her clawed hands. She went to stab at Jane but the older woman was faster as she dodged to the side, still rushing towards Mirai. The blonde tried again with her other hand, but was grabbed by the wrist with one of Jane's hands. The other hand of the skypien went right for the blonde's head where it latched onto her face. Just before the electricity surged through her, Mirai saw what was coming, gasping and widening her eyes in horror. The Skypiean simply smirked with pleasure of seeing the other woman's shock, as she sent high volts of electricity through the woman's body.

"Yaaaaahh!" A shriek came from the blonde as she felt her skin heat up and burn from the electrical power, while it surged through her body making every muscle inside of her convulse and strain. After a while, Jane finally released her and the other woman first fell to her knees, then her side on the muddy ground. There were fumes coming from her body as a smell of burnt flesh and hair traveled through the air. The skypiean pirate scrounged her nose in disgust at the scent.

She stepped back to see Daniel coming closer to her with a pained sigh of relief. "Heh, maybe if they had any sense of teamwork, they would have been able to dodge our attack," he mocked, giving Jane an amused grin.

She returned it with a cocky smirk. "It was a good idea to change our opponents, taking out the one that was weaker to each of our skillsets," she commented, watching the two Umbrage's henchmen on the floor. Indeed, she had trouble with Kaar's glove that was able to cancel out her devil fruit powers, while Daniel was more suited to the man than the woman that had ten blades compared to his two, and was much quicker than Daniel in a fight. That's why the two of them knew what actions to take as soon as they got the chance to attack; they needed to switch opponents.

She gave him a sideways glance as her expression became aloof again. "Also…it was a pretty good idea to turn them against each other," she decided to compliment him, though it sounded like a simple observation on her part. She didn't want it to go to his head after all.

Still, the swordsman smirked. "I know, right! I'm brilliant!" He shrugged as he stated it so matter-of-factly.

Jane rolled her eyes, "Well I don't know about 'brilliant'…"

"Well I saved our asses, didn't I!?" He shouted back, getting defensive all of a sudden.

The woman put her hands on her hips, "It was more like luck that such a simple plan actually worked!"

"Simple!? It was genius…pure gold! I didn't see _you_ think of anything!"

"Ha! I was just waiting for the right moment! I was about to act when you opened your big mouth!"

"And what was the right moment? When your head gets cut off!?"

"You want to see a head getting cut off!?" Jane took her large scythe in her hands again, threatening Daniel with it.

"Bring it on, old hag!" The swordsman shouted back, rising Yoko Rashien.

In the distance, two forms were observing the arguing duo from their hideout in the jungle. One was a middle-aged man with wise eyes, while the other was a colorful parrot sitting on his shoulder. Orios sighed as he saw the two. "And here I thought they finally realized something important while working together, yet their personalities didn't change at all," he complained in a disappointed mutter.

The parrot, Ari, snickered while cleaning his wing. "I guess that's just their way of working together through teamwork. They did get stronger...but fools are fools till the end, I guess," the parrot commented in glee.

The shaman sighed once more, but then a smile replaced his displeased expression. "You might be right…they did learn something after all, and they even passed the test…so I guess they deserve to be set free now."

Jane and Daniel were still arguing when suddenly they noticed a ray of colors fly through the air. It was none other than Ari who flew above them, making one circle around them before flying in the sky again. They both blinked, about to call out to the parrot when suddenly a person jumped right between them. Orios raised his staff high in the air before slamming its butt down onto the golden string binding the two pirates. A flash of bright light blinded the two for a moment, as the string finally broke and disappeared into thin air.

"You have passed the test! So you shall be set free of your shackle!" The shaman exclaimed as the two stared at him, startled. "I will take you back to your friends," he suggested, letting Ari land back on his shoulder again when everything calmed down.

Jane and Daniel glanced at each other with uncertainty. They spoke so long about cooking Ari and getting back at Orios for all their troubles, but they were too exhausted to do any of that now. In the end, they even lost the will to complain to him; perhaps partly because they felt that this trial really _did_ make them stronger. They almost dared to think it wasn't such a bad thing, after all. Of course, neither would actually admit it.

Instead, the white-hired swordsman cleared his throat. "You know…when we get back to the others…we don't really have to tell them about all the mushy stuff we said and how we worked together on this," he suggested.

The silverette Skypiean sighed in relief at that comment. "My thoughts exactly…after all, you are just as annoying as ever."

Daniel grinned, not getting offended by her comment as he knew she didn't mean it as an insult this time. "Ditto," he answered back with a smile.


	20. Chapter 20

**This was written together by 4fireking and BloodyMarryMe. I hope you enjoy this chapter because it may be our last one working together. Expect the next chapters to be short and tedious once again. Thank you. **

Chapter 20

Daniel and Jane were the second and third Nakama to pass Orios's test. Eiza, Jen, and Razi cheered for their return but Momo sensed some anger and hostility between those two. Momo had a good sense of people's emotions since he was the only species who looked the least human and stayed with humans. He could feel Daniel was stressed at one point he was thinking he could yell but in the other he wanted to cry. Daniel at one moment was walking to the crew. He walked past the crew to the boat. Momo sensed to leave Daniel alone. He needed time to be alone.

Jane he could sense loud excitement. The crew were her exercise. Jane's excitement was shown on her arms, electricity. Excitement like his could only be from her being in a fight. She wanted to recreate that fight.

" Hey Jen." Momo shook with fear when Jen ran over to her. " I want to play with you."

" Okay." Jen quickly agreed. " What should we play? Hide and seek? Guessing game?Spin the bottle?"

Momo didn't want to be around when Jane played her "game" with him. When Orios returned to pick another crewmate...he jumped on his arms. Orios caught him. Momo was pulling on his clothe next to his next. " I want to take the next test."

The shaman didn't understand why a big fishmen like Momo could get so scared...then he saw Jen turned around with a blindfold over his eyes; Jane creeping behind him with raw electricity coming out her hands. Orios carried Momo into the woods fast, a scream of Jen not enjoying Jane's "game" behind them.

" Thank you." Momo jumped to the ground and bowed in gratitude. Orios was easily impressed.

Momo was a fishmen but he had manners. Orios thought the only way he could be so gentle inside was him having a good teacher. " Are you ready for your test? Once we start you can't stop. You'll be in constant danger at every turn. You could die if your mind isn't trained properly. Are you sure you can do it?"

Momo was not only well-behaved, he had a smart mind. He took his time thinking then answered. " I'm not sure. I don't know what you have for me. I feel frustrated that I have to do these tests. Daniel and Jane are two of our ship's strongest crewmates and they had trouble passing the test. If I don't pass the test we can't get the Going Merry. That's why I want to take your test."

Orios nodded and walked into the forest. Momo didn't have to be told to follow Orios. He walked behind Orios, slowly trying to match Orios's pace. He was an old man and he was tired. Momo was psyched for whatever test this rudimentary looking man could come up with.

X_X_X_X

Orios was sitting on a log waiting for Momo. Orios was in one part in the forest but ahead of him was the beach. Momo was running around him faster than he could read a page in a book. This test involved Orios as much as it involved Momo. Orios's test: grabbing an egg on his head. Momo was use to tests like these back when he was living among human children his own age and a very eccentric teacher. But when Momo tried grabbing the egg an invisible force pushed him away.

" I need a break," Momo said sweating through his face, thirsty. All he got was a parrot flying over him and pouring a bucket of water on his head.

" Begin again."

Momo rushed at Orios and tried to grab his egg. The moment he tried grabbing that egg Orios grabbed him and threw him behind his back. Momo hit a tree, breaking through it with his giant body. The sawshark fishman stood up again and walked in front of Orios.

" How can you lift me with so little effort?" Momo asked, exasperated after being thrown for the fifth time.

" I lift dinosaurs when I'm hungry just to carry them to a place I'm safer eating them."Orios said turning a page of his book. " By the way, you're about to be attacked."

" By who?"

" Him."

Momo looked in the direction the old man was pointing, behind him. He saw a boy the same age as Razi and Daniel behind him. He had spikey blue hair and a green cloak. His trousers were red with yellow stitched bison faces on his pockets. He carried a Bo staff in his hands.

" My name is Dallas, son of Dalton. I'm here to fight you and bring out Wolf Fang Razi."

Momo walked into the forest and walked out carrying his metal staff. Momo twirled his around, trying to impress Orios and scary Dallas (which wasn't work) and then he thrust his right hand forward holding his pipe in his other hand. " Bring it on."

Momo rushed at the man with his metal pipe in hand. He was quick, but the fact that they were fighting on land wasn't much help for Momo's true power and speed. Still, the fishman continued forward, jumping into the air and slamming his metal pipe at Dallas.

The blue haired opponent responded by dodging easily, jumping back to avoid the metal pipe. The weapon crushed to the soft ground, bringing forth a cloud of sand which surrounded them and clouded Momo's vision. The fishman blinked in annoyance as little specs of sand tried to get into his sensitive eyes. His vision darted around as he tried to find any sign of his opponent, but with no luck. Suddenly, a fierce pain rushed through his back as something hard hit him there. Momo fell forward and slid across the sand, turning to see his enemy behind him.

Dallas stood there with his large Bo staff and didn't waste anything before rushing towards the fishman and slamming the end of his staff towards Momo's head. The other barely dodged by rolling to the side, far enough from danger, before he jumped back to his webbed feet.

The pirate fishman tried again as he attacked Dallas, aiming for the top of his head, only for the other to rise his staff and block. Still, Momo continued to hastily send attacks his way with the metal pipe. He went to stab the end in Dallas' stomach, but the other dodged by stepping to the side, before he blocked another attack coming towards the side of his face. It seems, no matter how many times Momo swung his weapon, the other managed to either block or dodge it with ease. The only hope Momo had was that the human would get tired before him, as Momo had more strength and endurance since he was of the fishmen race. However, the pirate didn't so much time to do so as he hoped.

Soon, Dallas tired of being on the defensive and turned back to the offensive again. He blocked one more attack aiming for his side, before twirling around in place and grabbing his staff with both hands to spin it above his head. The spinning gave it additional force before he hit Momo in the side of his neck with it, using great speed. The fishman stumbled backwards, glad for his thick skin and hard muscles there that prevented the staff from breaking his neck. Dallas continued with the attacks while Momo was still surprised and disoriented, hitting the poor pirate in the face a couple of times with the end of his staff, before sending it into his stomach.

"Gah!" Momo grunted in pain and doubled over from the hit to his abdomen, before another sharp hit came to his back. The force of it brought him to his knees and Dallas stepped on the back of his head, bringing him down to the ground, Momo's head now buried in the sand.

The blue haired man scowled, looking at the green, slimy body of the fishman on the ground. "You never had a chance…just stay there quietly and give up," he muttered towards the unmoving pirate.

Momo's body felt sore and broken all over as his muscles strained in pain. He was panting hard, spitting blood and barely keeping his eyes open. _'Am I really beaten like this? I can't…I can't let it end like this!' _In despair, the fishman remembered his one ace up the sleeve…the berserk mode he used before. He hated using something that made him completely out of control, but what other choice did he have? His eyes already started glowing red and he gnashed with his teeth as his mind started getting overcome by rage. All he could see was red before his eyes. Just then one last thought crossed his mind; a thought that returned him back to his senses and Momo's eyes widened in realization. '_Wait! I know what to do now_!'

Dallas turned to leave, putting the bo staff on his back where he always carried it. He took a few steps when a grunt from behind stopped him. He listened carefully, hearing shuffling in the sand behind him. With a serious expression, the man narrowed his eyes even before turning around to see what was happening. He could already guess without seeing it anyway. He turned around slowly, seeing Momo trying to desperately get up.

"I'm….not…done…yet…" The fishman panted, spitting blood as he struggled to talk and get back on his feet. Still, he wouldn't give up as he slowly rose, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Even on his green skin, bruises were already visible as blue and dark purple marks stained his sore body. He swayed from side to side, gathering strength to even be able to stand before his opponent.

Dallas took a step forward, seeing the sorry state the other was in. He was slightly impressed by Momo's willpower and durability, but he could see the other was as good as beaten already. There was no hope for the fishman as he only delayed the inevitable. "Just give up, you can hardly stand."

On the other's mild surprise, Momo simply smirked at this. "You're wrong. I…might've gotten a beating but…it wasn't for nothing. I see it now! I know your weakness!"

Dallas watched Momo with suspicion, but simply scoffed after a while. "You're bluffing." As if determined to prove it, he charged at the pirate, grabbing the staff from behind his back again.

The eyes of the keen fishman seemed completely focused on his opponent who rushed at him. He didn't have his metal pipe as he let go of it while Dallas beat him, so he clenched his right fist instead tightly, waiting. Momo learned one thing while Dallas attacked him so many times; the man had a pattern with his attacks. He could only swing the staff in certain ways and after understanding this, it was quite easy to predict where Dallas' next attack will be aimed at. As Dallas swung the staff downward, Momo moved the side to avoid it. Since the staff was already facing the ground, the only logical option for Dallas was to move the staff sideways and go for Momo's legs. And that was exactly what happened.

The staff was aimed at his knees, but Momo instantly jumped up in response. Still in the air, the pirate bent his knees, and used both legs to kick forward, right into Dallas' unprotected chest. With a grunt, the other man let go of his sword and flew backwards, slamming into the ground. Momo landed back on his feet and instantly charged forward towards Dallas, to finish him off. He used his martial arts' knowledge to deliver a punch right into Dallas' gut while he was still down, before kicking him in the ribs which sent the man flying upwards. Momo then kicked upwards with his knee right into the small of Dallas' back, sending the man flying upwards even more. The staff user was high in the air, when the pirate jumped after him and appeared before him in the air. Momo spun his whole body once in the air, doing a summersault, before using the heel of his right leg to slam it down into Dallas' stomach.

"Ugh!" The human spat out blood as the force of Momo's heel kick sent him back down, spiraling into the ground. Another dust cloud arose as sand enveloped them. When it settled, Dallas was lying unmoving in a small crater while Momo landed near beside him and stumbled to the side from exhaustion.

The fishman sighed, coughing a few times from pain as he swayed away to look for his lost metal pipe in the sand. "Phew…I thought I was a goner this time," he murmured to himself, wiping some sweat from his brow. In doing so, the blood on his hand smeared his forehead, creating a few messy lines.

"You think that is enough to beat me…" A voice came from behind the pirate fishman, making him shiver. The voice was strained and pained, but much colder and darner than before.

The fishman frowned and turned back to glare at his opponent. "Now you should be the one to stay down!"

Dallas smirked at his words but ignored him as he crawled from the small crater that his broken body created. "You have some skill in martial arts, I'll give you that, but you are far from ready to face someone like me…fish-boy," he spat the words, taunting the fishman on purpose.

Momo's yellow eyes narrowed in a darker glare. He hated when his fishman heritage was mentioned in a negative way, even though he heard it so often all his life. Still, he stayed silent as he watched Dallas carefully to see what the other would do next.

The blue-head got on his hands and knees, and apparently was getting bigger and bigger. His wide, muscly back hunched more as the bone of his spine protruded visibly. A snapping sound was heard while his arms and legs twisted and jerked in the joints, as if bones were breaking and rearranging themselves. Two heavy horns started growing from his skull, the ivory color of bones, twisting and sharpening at the ends. Dallas' nose grew wider and longer until it finally turned into a snout, along with the rest of his face. Hair, or rather fur, grew on his whole body until he was covered in dark brown mane. Two small black eyes glared heatedly at Momo, when the transformation finally ended. Before the fishman was now a large bison-looking beast, standing up on its hind legs that ended with a couple of hoofs, while it flexed each finger on its hands.

The pirate gaped in shock as he saw the whole transformation. "You…you are a zoan devil fruit user!?"

Dallas smirked, "Indeed. I have inherited this devil fruit after my father died, who possessed the same one. It is the Ushi Ushi no Mi, model Bison! My father was a great man who became the king of the new-formed country, Sakura Kingdom, which was formerly known as Drum Kingdom on our winter island. After the old useless king Wapol almost ruined Drum, my father was able to restore it to its former glory! He left this devil fruit to me, along with the kingdom which will one day be mine," Dallas explained, his voice high in praise now as he remembered his beloved father. "And with his heritage...I will destroy you!" He pointed an accusing finger at Momo, as if foretelling his impending doom.

However, the sawshark simply grinned his sharp teeth, ready for another round. "Bring it on!"

Dallas ran and threw his bo staff at Momo, but the fishman used his sharp teeth to bite down on the flying weapon, and crush it to wooden pieces. Even then his teeth didn't look damaged at all. Instead, he took out his teeth himself and put it in one hand, and then grabbing another set of teeth and putting them in his other hand. A third set of teeth, even sharper and stronger than the other ones, grew inside his mouth. Armed with two sets of teeth in his hands and one in his mouth, Momo prepared himself by snapping hid sharp jaws.

Dallas charged at the pirate with his two sharp horns ready to tear his opponent to shreds.

Momo responded by stabbing the bison man with one set of teeth in the shoulder when they finally collided, while snapping the other set at Dallas' horns. "Tooth gum," the fishman yelled out his attack as the duo collided.

However, Dallas' zoan form was stronger than Momo feared. He yelped in pain as a set of shark teeth gripped at his shoulder and stayed there, but ignored the pain as he slammed into the fishman none the less. The other set of teeth collided with Dallas' horns and the boson managed to smash them into pieces, before rushing into Momo. The fishman was strong, but so was the force that hit him and it sent him flying into a nearby boulder, smashing the rock in the process.

Momo winced in pain and barely opened his eyes to look up and see Dallas charging at him again. The pirate grimaced before jumping out of the way, only a second before the devil fruit user smashed his horns through the rest of the rock and where Momo was lying just seconds ago. The pirate gulped after seeing the strength and power of this bison form, as Dallas turned to charge at him again. The fishman scrambled to his feet and ran into the jungle, hoping the trees and vines would stop and slow Dallas' charge.

Momo ran through the jungle, jumping over fallen trees and moving aside bushes as he moved as fast as he could. He could hear noises of destruction behind him and dared a glance behind only to regret it. Dallas was still running after him, destroying everything in his way without even stopping or slowing in his track. He was easily smashing large tree trunks and rocks to get to the fishman who already felt his energy waning.

_'There has to be something that can stop him!'_ Momo bit his lip before another thought came to his mind. _'That's it! Water! Devil fruit users are useless in water and I know just where to go to get some!' _He grinned mischievously and made a sharp left, changing the course of his run.

~…..~

Dallas almost lost his target for a while because of all the flora in the jungle, but after a few second he found the pirate once more. Finally, the fishman stopped running, probably already tired from this chase of cat and mouse. _'Let's end this, little fishy!' _

With a roar, Dallas leaped to slam into Momo once more. However, the pirate disappeared from his sight. Too late did he realized that Momo actualy crouched down and used his own body as an obstacle so that Dallas would trip over him. "Whoa!" With an exclaim, Dallas fell over Momo but was unable to stop himself as he rolled forward and out of the bushes. As he rushed over them, he found himself outside of the jungle and at the end of a cliff, where he fell over and ended up in open air. "Gyaaa!" He yelled in surprise and panic as he realized he was quickly tumbling down the cliff and into the large lake of water below. From the corner of his eye he could see an old, broken wooden bridge that was cut on one side, just before his vision turned blurry as he fell into the water.

The zoan user was stricken by panic as he realized he was just like a hammer in the water, unable to swim or even move. He was never a great swimmer since he came from Drum Island where any natural water was too cold to swim in, but now he couldn't even move his limbs. He turned his wide-eyed gaze to realized there were beasts in this lake; crocodiles! There had red punching gloves and were swimming quickly towards him with open maws, showing rows of deadly teeth. '_It's over…this is how I will die on this forsaken island,'_ Dallas thought sadly, understanding his fate.

Just then another disturbance in the water occurred as something dived in right before him, separating him from the incoming crocodiles. With shock, Dallas realized it was Momo who jumped into the lake and was now punching and kicking at the beasts. The fishman moved swiftly, much faster than any of the crocodiles as he dodged their punches and tails. He moved to the side to dodge another crocodile, delivering a punch to its back easily, before kicking another on in the jaws. He grabbed one by its tail as it tried to attack him with it and swung it around, hitting other crocodiles with it. He let the beast go as it slammed into its kind, sending the crocodiles deep below.

Turning to Dallas who was slowly losing consciousness, Momo grabbed the other man and started pulling him towards the surface.

The two emerged from the water and Dallas took a much needed deep breath, slowly turning back to his human form. Momo was still holding onto him, dragging the other man out onto the grassy shore. The fishman sighed and flopped beside the other man, panting from exhaustion as he did nothing but fight all this time.

"Sheesh, I need a breather," the fishman grinned, happy to still be alive after his ordeal.

Dallas, however, was nothing but completely confused and bewildered. "Why..? Why did you save me? I'm your enemy!" He couldn't understand the motives behind Momo's actions, not seeing what the pirate could gain by saving his life.

But the easy-going pirate simply shrugged at the questions. "I just didn't want you to die, that's all. There's really no special reason besides that," the fishman explained matter-of-factly.


	21. Chapter 21

**This chapter was written only by me I'm afraid. I'm afraid BloodyMarryMe won't be helping me for the rest of the story. Or maybe she will. Don't be surprised, I thought she was a boy too. However I feel like I can write faster and better with my new way of writing and no it is not copying and pasting someone else's story. If you don't believe me just read it and read other stories to see how their not similar. Please Read and Review. **

Chapter 21

Poor Jen the pirate who acted as navigator when the crew needed to go somewhere but also had skills with his guns was crying. He wasn't just crying because of Jane's game but because everyone was watching him humiliate himself. Everyone in the crew was looking at him.

" She really made him cry with that last twisting." Razi said feeling for Jen. Something about his crying felt different.

"I wish she didn't have to use her destructive devil fruit powers to rattle his legs." Eiza ate the Chilly Chilly Fruit but what Jane did gave her the shivers—shuddering—through her body and nearly made her weep.

" Even my father never brutalized a man that way." Daniel said acting like the man he wanted to be.

Eiza walk up to Jen to cheer him up. Eiza was being very nice to Jen. Daniel didn't know what that means, but her presence made Jane return to the group. She looked like she wanted to fight.

"What do you think snowflake? Want to go one-on-one my fists of lightning against your swords?" Jane challenged. Her right hand surged with electricity. Daniel reached for his sword but quickly pulled his hand away.

"You can't fight a swordsman with your fists." He said. Jane reacted with a bad growling noise. " Are you stupid? You need to have a sword of your own before you can fight me."

" But Daniel, what if you face something without a sword who was trying to kill you? Wouldn't you use it then?" Razi asked. Daniel roughly responded to his question.

"I started this adventure facing fishman with pipes and transgender assassins with a whip that kept going around my neck. I know when to use a sword to not hurt someone."

"Then why don't you fight Jane? "

"Jane is reckless and undomesticated. When she starts a fight she won't stop until she wins even if it means killing herself."

" What's domesticated mean?"

" It means tamed like a pet." Jane answered. She didn't look very happy about it. Both her hands surged with electricity as a scary smile crept on her face. "We Skypien's are not pets. Are the birds in the sky pets? We're free to walk around and enjoy everything you humans do. That means beer, beds, and restaurants. "

" You look like you come from space with those antennas." Daniel grinned. His smile was a negative image in Jane's mind.

" At least I don't look like a lazy kid who hasn't done a day of exercise." With her teeth showing in a broad smile Daniel's pride took control of him and he finally unsheathed his katana's Aku and Tsuki.

It was no surprise to everyone onboard the ship that Daniel and Jane didn't like each other. But who hated who first? Daniel has a strong dislike of girls but Jane has a dislike of men. Their mutual hatred of the opposite sex was vague since neither Daniel nor Jane opened up to them. Daniel had his swords close to Jane's necks and Jane's fingers were almost touching Daniel's face. If Jane touched Daniel's head he would explode but if Daniel put his swords any closer she would lose her head. Only one could win.

" Momo's back!" Razi exclaimed.

Daniel and Jane stopped fighting. Daniel smiled at Momo's return and Jane walked away to the ship. Momo's return was with Orios. Daniel walked up to Momo and gave him thumbs up.

" Welcome back, Karate Fishman Master Momo, or whatever the Marines will call you. Did you win?"

Momo' smiled but rubbed his head. "I had a hard time making it through Orios's test but—"

" No!" Daniel stopped Momo. " Did you or did you not fight someone in the forest?"

"I fought a man with a zoan Devil Fruit named Dallas. He was really hard to beat. I haven't had to push a guy with a Devil Fruit in the water since that doctor who kept growing new body parts. Orios was so impressed with my skills he let me pass."

"Now there are two of you left. " The shaman said petting Momo's shoulder. " I won't ask you who will go next. Cold Marine Eiza, your next."

Eiza stood up. She pointed to her face. "How do you know my name? H-How do you know my Marine nickname?"

"Follow me and I will tell you how I know so much about you."

Eiza followed Orios without question or even a second thought. She had a less than emotional look at what Orios was going to make her do.

Momo looked at Razi. "Eiza's gone and you're going to be next, Razi." Something strange was happening to Razi. He was spaced out. Razi was becoming his wolf hybrid form without even taking a step. "Razi?"

"Stop playing with Razi and come over here, Momo." Daniel said keeping Momo away from Razi.

No one seemed to care what was happening to Razi. Momo went over to talk to Daniel. Jen was sitting down and reading a story while he read from a book of his. If they paid attention to Razi they would have seen him leave to go to the forest because something didn't feel right. It didn't feel right about Eiza.

X_X_X_X_X

Eiza and Orios walked together into the forest. Eiza was nervous following behind behind Orios. Every time a crewmate came back from a test they seemed more than just enthralled to be back. It was like they came back from a war. They stop in the woods. Eiza feels really nervous because there's animal sounds. There's sounds of dinosaurs, monkeys, and even giant tails hitting the water.

" Is this where I will have my test?" Orios didn't say anything. He sighed but then turned around and smiled.

" I will not give you the same tests I gave your friends. All I want is for you to do one thing."

" If it will help get us the Going Merry I will do anything."

" You must survive."

Eiza wasn't expecting Orios to say that. It sounded like she was a target for murder. Eiza was confused and Orios was walking around her while looking at the ground.

"You're different from the other members of your crew. You seem gentler and kinder than most of them. Oh how I wish that were true. "

"What do you mean?"

" I'd like you to say hello to my friend and companion Ari." Eiza heard the sound of wings flapping in the air. A parrot flew down and landed on Orios's arm. It looked like a normal parrot until it opened its beak and spoke.

"Don't forget loyal. " Eiza was surprised. The parrot talked. It talked to the shaman Orios. " If I wasn't such a loyal bird where would you be?"

" The parrot is talking!" Eiza gasped pointing at the parrot. Eiza knew parrots could mimic the words people say but parrots can't talk.

" Of course I can talk. What do you think I am stupid?" The parrot spoke again making Eiza uncomfortable.

" You're not stupid, but you do have a little brain." Orios laughed.

" Well it's a good thing I'm so much of a pensive animal otherwise you wouldn't know what fish to eat." Orios moved closer to Eiza so he could speak to her. "Between you and me he tried to eat an electric eel the first time he was marooned here. If I didn't feel sorry for how hopeless he looked he wouldn't survive five days here."

Eiza was curious at how Orios must have acted when he first met a parrot who could talk. " I understand how you two can know each other's secrets, but how does that relate to you knowing my name and my nickname?"

" A bird told me about you." Orios said. That was the worst thing he could say to her.

" Well really the bird told me about you." Ari said putting his wing on his chest. " He was a raven who only flew to your island because lots of people died and he wanted to be the first one to eat their flesh. But the crow broke his leg. It was lucky for him you fixed his leg with elastic bandages—

" Pillow bandage with tap around it and cream for the pain." Eiza remembered that moment. She was only a little girl when it happened. She remembered the crow making a whimpering sound. She had to fight a dog to save the crow. "I wanted the crow to feel warm; the way I never felt because I was born when my father was battling right next to my mother." Eiza looked at her hands. They were blue. " I always felt cold but never could stay warm. I never minded the cold. It was amazing how I could be cold and still do the same things the other kids could do.

" But you weren't like the other kids, were you?" The parrot said. The last thing Eiza expected was to be told by a parrot how she was different, but it wasn't mistaken. " The kids back then used to pick on you because you were different. They hit you and they kicked you until your lips were cracked and bleeding but you never cried. You were not a normal girl. When you told your father a bunch of kids kept beating you never once have you cried about it. And your father…he was glad you never cried about it.

" How can you possibly know all of this?"

The parrot ruffled his feathers. " That crow whose leg you fixed when you were five didn't stop looking after you until now. Would you like to say hi?" Eiza heard the voice of the crow cawing above her. It was true. The raven never left her. " No?"

" It's for the best anyways." Said Orios. " We don't want the nice old crow to be around when he comes for you."

Eiza was slightly angry hearing about this alleged man who was coming for her. " Who are you talking about?" They don't answer her question. Eiza turned her hands into ice. "You better tell me or I will freeze your parrot."

Orios noticed the anger in Eiza's eyes. It was like she was another person. Suddenly, loud footsteps were heard in the forest.

" There's not much time to explain." Ari said. " He's powerful but he's only the second strongest of them.

"Who are they?"

"People who were not welcomed for what they were so they turned into dangerous killers." Orios explained.

" Your friends or crewmates whatever you call them have been fighting members one after another every time they entered this forest." Ari the parrot said. " I watched from the skies above. Orios didn't want to tell you because you wouldn't come if he had. We can't let anything or anyone distract your crew from these tests."

" But this one is not like any they've faced before." Orios said. " He's almost different in a monstrous sort of way. He's the only one I fear is even stronger than me."


	22. Chapter 22

**Help has come once again. I have written the story but I asked some authors to edit it. They have been more than just beta readers. First there's Jurabi the Dragon Spirit who asked me nicely to tell you about her story New Strawhat Pirates. That was originally the name of my story and the name of my friends Dastrawhatreject story but there's lots of stories with the same titles, I think. I also got help from ArtieWilson, Doomedbex,Momolovesanime, and dreamsinwords001. I hope I didn't miss any. It was only yesterday I asked for their help and they helped me make this chapter. Well please read and review. **

Chapter 22

Eiza could hear the man Orios and Aria fear close to them. It would seem the person was just getting here, but he was a patient man who was watching Eiza the moment she stepped foot in this forest. He was waiting for her to finish her test so she would be weaker, but the warning helped her stay in top shape.

"Are you guys going to help me stop this…?" Eiza asks seeing her friends just standing there, "You cowards."

From the trees a towering man emerged. His skin was tan and covered in thick scars. A dark X covered his forehead; above it, the man's white hair stood out in the dark.

" You look startled to see me." His lips parted in a cruel smile. "Am I frightening to you?"

" I know who you are," Eiza stuttered, "you're Bave the Hook Heart." Her voice shook in fear.

"Oh, you know me? Well, it's always good to hear a little bit about yourself from someone else." The man Eiza named Bave stated.

"You are the most terrible man ever born. You went up against pirates, marines, Shichibukai, everyone. You sailed with men who were strong. One time after one of your men die you went to his hometown to murder his family. You killed his parents, his brothers and sisters, their families, and you killed his widow and daughter." Eiza spat with fury, she could hardly believe this evil, slimy brute stood only feet away from her.

"I was very angry that day. After losing my ship, I had to break an entire warship of marine necks just to sail again. It's a good thing I didn't choose the Devil Fruit my father made when he died or I would be dead. Say, how do you know that much about me, girl?" Bave asks.

"You…You killed my father!" Eiza shouts in rage losing control of her powers. She froze the ground and the trees around her. Her own fist became incased in ice as she ran up to Bave the Hook Heart. She punched him two times. Her first punch missed its target which was his torso, but left a small icy mark on his chest. Following it with a second punch, Eiza broke the ice and made Bave double over.

It was the strongest punch Eiza ever made. Eiza didn't like to use her fists because the ice always shattered after the first punch. Her hands were red from punching Bave's solid steel abs. It was painful, yes, even a few bones were broken…but Eiza was more than glad she did it. This discomfort was nothing to the pain Bave gave to others…to her father.

"I am Cold Marine Eiza. I have eaten the Hie Hie no Mi (Chilly Chilly Fruit) that my father gave me. I accepted my father's dying wish to eat his Devil Fruit because I wanted to avenge him. Revenge will never happen but I can stop you from leaving this island." Eiza declared. A cold furry of wind came out of Eiza's hands. She was going to freeze Bave in a box of ice and make it so strong he would never get out. Freezing people was someone Eiza knew how to do.

…  
However, Eiza suddenly took a blow to the face when she tried to freeze Bave.

Bave stood straight up. His muscles were bulging as he did so; eyes too were bulging with rage. Bave could feel those fresh ripples of pain in his torso from when Eiza punched him, however, his body and guts recovered almost immediately. It was unreal.

"Hehehe…" He chuckled evilly, "You seriously think just because you ate a Devil Fruit it would make you invincible?" He rushed forward step by step to Eiza. It only took one punch from Bave to make Eiza too weak to stand.

"Ice Freeze!" Eiza's attack turned her body into ice when a blizzard of snow was released from her hand in a vertical attack. Her attack put Bave in the center of her snow freezing both his arms and his legs. Eiza smirked as Bave slowly transformed into a snowman; however, Bave walked through the snow like it was no big deal.

"Wh-What?!" Eiza was shocked by the fact that her powers were ineffective.

Bave hit Eiza with a right hook to her face. Eiza felt pain but no tears. She reminded herself she was strong. " Ice Spear Trap!" Five long pieces of ice shot out of the ground. The pieces of ice were sharp enough to impale even the most heavily armored men. Eiza was astonished when her ice broke against Bave's torso and Bave punched Eiza in her torso expelling cold air.

Meanwhile, Ari and Orios were watching Eiza's battle with Bave from afar. Orios and Ari looked on at the fight, eyes not leaving the two warriors

Ari clenched his claws, "He's killing her." He watches as Bave clamped his hand around the woman's neck, raising her up, and cutting off her air supply. Seeing this angered Ari, "That does it!" He shouts as he was about fly to his friend's aid, but his master, Orios, grabs his legs to stop him.

"Stop, Ari. What do you hope to do with that little beak of yours?" Orios asks.

"You expect me to just stand her and watch my friend die?!" Ari asks in anger.

"You are not strong enough." Orios says.

"I don't care…" Ari says. "Just tell me what is going on out there? How is he able to just walk through those attacks and be able to hit someone made out of ice?"

"He appears to have some kind of Haki that makes his body so strong. It's that same Haki that allows him to hit Eiza with ease." Orios says.

"Busoshoku Haki?" Ari asks.

"It seems that way. There's no way he's blocking all of Eiza's attacks without Haki." Orios says.

"So you should be able help Eiza out by using your Haki." Ari suggested.

"I can't." Orios said, his expression neutral.

"No...you can't be serious, Orios! You're going to let her die because of that?!" Ari frowned, his features conveyed dismay.

"It's the only way to be sure." Orios said, not even taking a quick glance over to Ari.

Bave had grabbed the girl by her ankles, violently swinging her towards the nearby lake. In her shock, Eiza had only just managed to create a plush landing to protect herself. Landing on her freshly-made cushions, she felt her butt start to ache from her landing. Rubbing her backside, she got to her feet. "I totally forgot. Not everything I make is out of snow." Eiza smiled slightly to herself. However, that smile was wiped clean off as she saw the hulking man slowly dragging his feet to meet her. His face was evil, and most likely so were his intentions.

"_Think Eiza. He says he's not using a Devil Fruit but maybe I can make him trapped in the water. If the water is cold enough he'll freeze in it."_ Eiza thought to herself, calculating her chances with the man.

"You know, sweetie pie, I always have a common habit of giving girls the option of kissing my chin or having my feet crush their heads. You seem like a smart girl so what's it going to be?" Bave asks smirking thinking that he's won. His grin still playing on his face, taunting her.

"If you think I would ever kiss the chin of the man who killed my father after letting you go free…then you are half a brain short of thinking." She scoffed, venom laced in her words.

Bave tutted, his grin fading. Bave shook his head, "So tragic for a girl like you to die so young. How disappointing…" He then charges at Eiza, "THIS IS YOUR END!"

Eiza uses her powers to create a pillar to go up on, he crashes through the wall and went into the lake. Once there, Eiza smirks and uses her powers to conquer up a storm. "Chilling Blizzard Kuzan!" Eiza creates a blizzard that surrounds the lake and fires statues that look like her father at Bave. The snowmen sealed Bave's arms keeping him down while the blizzard freezes the lake. Her plan appears to be working, but then Bave breaks out of the ice and punches her very hard causing her to cough blood.

"I see…now I remember your father. I was staying at a hotel and ran out of alcohol so I went to this store for alcohol and then asked for ice. They didn't have any ice in this island. But there was someone who could make ice for me. I asked your father if he can make me some ice." Bave said.

"What…?" Eiza asks totally confused by the random backstory. She was trying to recover, but she feels too weak to even do that.

"You're going to want to hear this part because it's my favorite part. I finally found your father and show him my booze asking him to give me some ice. And you know what he said? No. I mean…it took me three whole weeks to find him and he has the nerve to say he won't give me any ice? I battled him just to let go of my frustrations. His death was an accident." Bave said.

"You're lying…there's no way my father would be murdered for something so trivial! I know you're lying because I saw you kill him in cold blood, you bastard!"

Trying to stand up, Eiza pushed off the ground, only for her legs to give out and feel a scratching at her throat. She needed to wretch, be sick, but she was even too weak for that.


	23. Chapter 23

**I was kind of debating whether I should send this chapter or not because a guest said a chapter of mine was boring after they had to wait so long. This was written by me and then edited by ArtieWilson. It's a three part flashback about how Eiza lost her father and how she became the cold Marine we hated but are starting to like. **

Chapter 23

X_X_X_X_X

Eiza's mind flashed back to her past. Just a little girl, the heat was excruciating on her skin. This day just so happened to be her birthday, and all she expected was the best!

Sat at the kitchen table, young Eiza reluctantly ate the mush she had prepared herself. It tasted disgusting, like a mix between gruel and… something else. Why had she cooked this mess herself? Her father was never around much, especially as a child, and so she had to rely on her own skills most of the time. These skills weren't very good, but she managed. Hearing a knock at the door, she gladly left her seat at the table to open the front door hurriedly. Expecting her father, a large grin was plastered on her face, however upon opening the door, the person there was most definitely not her father. Instead, a boy wearing rags and covered in dirt stands before her.

"Hello," Eiza shifts, noticing the scared expression on the boy's face.

"This is signed by your father." The boy said quietly, passing the letter to her and leaving straight away. Eiza noticed that the boy she had talked to was definitely not your average boy, he seemed scared for no reason, and the clothes he wore! Anyone could tell they weren't clothes! They were barely rags, covering his slight frame.

However, the thing young Eiza did not understand, was the fact that the boy she had seen was a slave.

"Eiza," she read the letter aloud. "Meet me in the restaurant, since it is your birthday, it would be nice to spend some time with you, come to the restaurant and we can celebrate. Happy Birthday." She grinned at the letter, not noticing the slightly abrasive tone behind it, and decided to get ready.

Eiza got dressed rapidly and left the house to make her way to her father's restaurant. Walking through her town, she ignored the strange goings on. They were all normal to her now. Thieves lined the street, and angry bar owners shrieked out at them, warning them not to come back. Any stranger to the town is shunned, even children took a disliking to them. Corrupt marines patrolled the street, their greed was always being seen, their desire for the heart of the town never went unnoticed. Powerful swords that worked magic in combat, some even said the swords were made by a magician.

One of the strange benefits of the town government was that the injured were paid, so it was definitely not uncommon to see fathers striking their sons to receive some payment from the town government. It really was a terrible place.  
Reaching the restaurant, Eiza spotted her father and gleefully skipped over to his table. However, she noticed another man there. He was like a giant to a small girl like Eiza. His white hair shone brightly in the sunlight, and his tan skin was beaded with sweat.

"What do you mean you won't give me any ice?" The man glared.

"I'm not a human freezer." Eiza's father stated plainly, leaning back in his chair.

"The bar owner told me you can freeze anything. I came all the way to this stupid town just to have a cold beer. Are you going to do it? I flounder for seven hours through stench of mud in an ocean just to get here."

"I don't do stupid requests. Why don't you go get a beer before it gets too warm?" Eiza's father scoffed, looking away with a bored expression.

"And who's this sweet little girl?" Bave turned around to see Eiza staring up at him.

"Eiza?" Her father turned sharply to see the girl looking at Bave.

"I'm sorry, but is this your little girl? Her skin is a little pale." Bave raised an eyebrow at her father. "Hello little girl. You seem frightened by me."

"Eiza, get over here." Kuzan leaned forward in his chair, beckoning her over. " Please come here."

"Don't you want to talk to me?" Bave smiled, it seemed much too sweet an expression for a man like him. "You remind me of a girl I knew in my childhood. We were going so well together until I had my accident." He pulled his shirt down slightly, revealing a hook-shaped scar on his chest. "After the accident I just didn't care about her anymore."

"A hook went through your chest? Did it hurt?" Eiza's eyes were wide with anticipation for the story.

"It didn't just go through my chest…it popped my entire heart out of my body. I wouldn't be alive today if I didn't have help." Bave shifted his weight from one foot to the other slightly.

"Stop talking to my daughter." Kuzan growled, "Eiza, come here."

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to this little girl!" Bave snarled, his short temper had finally snapped. Pushing Kuzan through the wall, he took his chance and charged, ramming him into another rock solid wall.

"Daddy!" Eiza screamed, horror evident on her face.

"I'm sorry things had to get violent but your father wasn't very nice to me." Bave looked down at the girl, a frown on his features. "Here comes your father. I'm going to kick him again." A grin replaced his frown as he readied himself.  
Bave charged, but before he could inflict any damage, Kuzan coated his arms in a thin layer of ice, allowing him to freeze Bave.

"I'll let you live but if you threaten my daughter again I will not be so nice." Kuzan growled, before turning back to the restaurant.

Eiza waved for her father, getting a wave in response, a grin lit up her face. However, that grin didn't last long as Bave began to break the ice. It cracked slightly, and then silence.

Screaming an attack, Bave's hands shot out of his icy prison.

His attack sent tremors through the air, making him double over. Running towards Kuzan, he dealt a tremendous blow to his back.

"Stop hurting my dad!" Eiza screamed at Bave, anger and horror painted on her features.

In her anger, Eiza charged at Bave, latching herself to his back. Her size acted as a benefit, as Bave tried to rip her off of him, to no avail.

"You better get off my back right now young girl." Eiza ignored his command, still latching onto him for dear life. "That's it!"

Bave jumped into the air, positioning himself so he would land on his back. He came crashing down to the ground with a loud thud, crushing the girl on his back. As he stood up, he grinned down at the crushed girl on the ground, only for that grin to wiped off as he saw she was still breathing.

" You monster!" Kuzan growled out, " You hurt my daughter!" Kuzan sprang into action, creating an ice saber.

Charging towards Bave, ice saber at the ready. Bave thrashed his arms around trying to attack the iceman, to no avail, as Kuzan coated himself in ice. Blocking his attacks, Kuzan thrust his saber forward, piercing his chest. Pulling the saber out, he morphed the sword into a morning star, smashing the studded ball into Bave's head.

"Is this all you got!" Bave spat, blood pouring down the side of his face. "You're very weak!"

"I am far from weak!"

With his power, Kuzan trapped Bave in a cage of ice, surrounding his in an icy castle, and lifted him into the skies. Using his powers, Kuzan made sure he was even higher up that Bave was.

"ICE FURY!" Kuzan sent a fury of frosty wind to freeze Bave, quickly following up with a giant ice phoenix. The phoenix was sent flying towards Bave, its wings glistening in the sun.

As the castle shattered to the ground, Kuzan rushed to help his daughter Eiza.

Unbeknownst to Kuzan, Bave had emerged from the ice and was headed towards him. He stuck his hand out, impaling Kuzan's chest and held him aloft slightly, leaning in to whisper into his ear.

"All I wanted was…a little ice." Bave yanked his hand out of Kuzan's chest, placing some ice balls in his pocket. Noticing Eiza in her scared state, he nodded. "Good-bye, winter child."

"Eiza…" Kuzan managed to choke out, blood had started to pool around him.

"Dad!" Eiza cried out with joy, tears brimming in her eyes. "You're still alive!"

"Not for long…" He used his last bit of energy to sit up in a lazy position, placing one hand on top of his head. "So this is what dignity I'll be remembered. Killed outside a bar because a damn drunk with a hook scar put his hand through my heart."

" I want to live…" Kuzan choked, " Hey…don't cry. Do your tears feel cold?" He looked over to her, a small smile on his face. "That's too bad. I wish I could have lived to see you cold just once. Since I'm dying my Devil Fruit will fall out of my chest. I want you to take it and eat it. Eat it for daddy…"

Eiza stared at him, shocked. The tears started to fall from her eyes, staining her cheeks red.

" I want you to live!" Eiza screamed angrily. She never saw her father, and on her birthday, he was to be killed by some crazy man over a little dispute? How could she not feel angry?

" How? There's no medicine that can bring back the dead. If you had my ice powers you could freeze the hole in my heart and restore me. But Devil Fruit's don't work like that. There can only be one user who creates and controls ice."  
She stared at him, only able to think of one thing.

" Don't die…"

" There's some good things to come from my death, Eiza. When I die my Devil Fruit will become yours. You can use it to become a Marine. You have to be strong and smart or you won't rise to my rank. If lazy ol' dad can make it high in the navy than so can you."

She smiled a little at his comment, "will that make daddy happy?"

" I'm always smiling when I'm around you. You're the only girl who can stand next to me." He coughed out, more blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth. " When you become a Marine no one will be your friend. You will meet a lot of bad people and make enemies. Don't listen to anything anyone tells you about Monkey D. Luffy. If I didn't believe he could make the world interesting I wouldn't have wanted to have…an amazing girl like you."

His voice faltered, the air went quiet and stiff. His eyes were still open, but there was no life in them, just cold, empty hues. Eiza's cries filled the air, sporadic sobs left her mouth as she continued to stare at him. After a while, a strange looking fruit tumbled out of the man's cold chest, rolling until it touched Eiza's knee. Picking it up reluctantly, she began to chew away at it. The taste was foul and made her tongue itch, but she didn't care. She wanted to make her father happy.

Looking up to the skies, she screamed loud enough for the whole world to hear:

" DADDY!"

X_X_X_X_X

Nine years had passed and Eiza was trained. Her heart was like ice and so was her mentality. At this time, she was ready to apply for the marines and fulfil her father's dying wish. Anything she would do now would be for her father.


	24. Chapter 24

**I just want you to know that after this chapter the next chapter will return to Eiza's fight. I had help writing this chapter from ArtieWilson. I like how I wrote about her training but the ending was kind of rushed. I mean we all know what happens to her. She becomes cold and heartless and then becomes enlightened. I hope your viewers enjoy this chapter. And I do have a friend who is not feeling well and is in a dark place so if you have something nice to say about her please say it in the reviews. **

Chapter 24

X_X_X_X_X

" You standing at the gate!" A Marine shouted. " We allow no pirates here. If you're not a pirate show proof." Eiza shows the tattered cloth of father's old uniform. " A Marine's daughter? Well then come in."

The gates slowly shifted, opening with an earsplitting creak. Inside, she took in the sight. Men were training brutally; muscles rippling as they did their push-ups and chin ups, scattered all over the base. Those with devil fruits were training too. A man with an iron skewer for an arm was testing it out, adding to the length and thickness of the metal. Zoan Devil Fruit types stood nearby, with a rabbit hybrid zoan type practising relentlessly. Marines fired rifles at hay dummies in the courtyard.

" This is where my father trained," Eiza thought to herself as she stepped into the base. "Dad didn't become strong until he started as a recruit. I must become strong like him."

Eiza turned to see a marine who looked to be of some sort of official rank. She started to walk over to him but was blocked by a group of five boys. Four of them were quite pale, one in the middle with dark skin, all of them shirtless. One of the boys were quite fat, two of them seemed to be twins with girlish faces and blond hair. The fourth boy was slim but quite well built, with a crescent shaped scar on his face. The middle boy was the most heavily muscled, and stood with his arms crossed cockily.

" Qail," the dark skinned boy said to the slim boy with the crescent shaped scar. " There's a girl here. What is she doing here?"

" She must think she's tough," the boy named Qail sneered. " I'll give her until tomorrow and then she's gone, Leon."

Eiza stopped in front of the boys, taking in their appearance with bored eyes. The men around her began to whistle boisterously at her, all except Qail. Their eyes met, his were bright blue, as if they were made from electricity while Eiza's were full of dangerous lightning. His face was screwed up into a snarl as a silent rivalry was exchanged.

[Eight Days Later]

Eiza had shown everyone around her how tough she was. She was good at it all; from firing rifles to swinging swords. She had beaten anyone who had challenged her, which was absolutely everyone at the base. Everyone but Qail, she had fought everyone but him and he did not like it.

[Twenty Days Later]

After a class in the base, the students had gathered around Qail's test, as he displayed his 98% mark with a smug smile plastered on his face.

" That's a very high score, Qail," Leon the dark skin boy grinned at his friend.

" Qail is awesome." The other three applauded Qail loudly.

" Everyone sit down." A marine barked loudly. Scrambling back to their seats, the cadets followed the order. " I'm happy to say all of you have passed the first test. One of you has even came out of it with the highest score I ever marked." Qail started to smile, eyes bright. " Well done, Eiza."

The class sat shocked for a second before erupting in cheers. Eiza sat there, not even a small smile on her face for the applause or the mark. Qail's face was bright red, and his eyes were intense with anger.

[Forty One Days Later]

Eiza stepped back from the boy slumped on the floor, dragging her sword behind her. Qail glared angrily at her as everyone stared at her in awe in a line, as if waiting to be beat up by her.

" Perfect as always, Eiza," the sword teacher laughed heartily. " It seems you've beaten everyone in class."

" Not everyone." Qail scoffed. " Pick up your sword and let's fight."

Qail glowered at her, electricity sparked from his eyes. Eiza returned the look with just as much intensity.

She pulled her sword up, standing in a fighting position as Qail picked his up from the floor. He growled loudly as he stepped forward. Swords clashed as Eiza met hijm in the middle. The attacking and parrying went on for a few minutes before Eiza became bored. She lifted her sword up high, letting it linger in the air for a split second before bringing it down on him. He dodged it carefully, causing Eiza to narrow her eyes. He snarled and haphazardly swiped his sword out in front of him, slicing her chin slightly.

" What's wrong with you!?" Qail yelled angrily. " Haven't you noticed I cut your chin?" Qail frowned, not realising Eiza's indifference to pain. "Whatever. I cut you so I win." He said hurriedly.

" That's not true, Qail." The teacher shook his head. " The rules are that you have to slash your opponent's torso or neck in order to win."

" Don't worry, Qail," Leon raised an eyebrow. " She's good at dodging but she's afraid of getting next to you."

Qail grinned once more, raising his sword as she darted forward. Their swords clashed loudly as they fought relentlessly, grunts and cries came from both teens as they kept their fight up. " What's the matter?" Qail smriked. " Out of clever moves? No quips for how I swing? You may have everyone's attention, but you will never be a Marine. You're weak."

" I am not weak." Eiza growled lowly.

She stepped forward angrily, remembering who she was doing this for. She channeled her anger, swinging her sword expertly. He wasn't any different to the other boys, much cockier, that was a given, but he wasn't better than them. She smiled a little, not so much as so people could tell, but it was a smile nonetheless. A strike to his torso, that was all she needed to beat the bratty boy before her. As he pulled his sword back, using both hands to try to swing it at her, Eiza darted towards him. His eyes widened as she yelled, bringing her weapon towards his chest and slicing it lightly. It wasn't enough to scar, but it was enough to elicit a loud scream and huge applause from her class.

[ Two Years Later]

For two years Eiza managed to dazzle and impress the teachers and recruits with her skills and knowledge. While Eiza rose above the recruits Qail slowly went down until he was kicked out of Marine training after six months. He was followed by Leon who didn't do anything bad but followed Qail because he enjoyed his company. If you asked Eiza if she was sad about losing a rival she would tell you them Qail was the only student who had a chance of being better than her and now he was gone.

Eiza had an unbeatable streak of getting the highest marks and beating everyone in training. It was her outstanding achievements that brought her to a room where the instructor was waiting for her. Her instructor had a big cigar in his mouth, small brown glasses over his eyes, and a big Marine flak jacket. His jacket was so big and strong a knife or bullet couldn't penetrate it. His hair was gray with three long brown hairs.

" Hello Eiza," the instructor said. His breath smelled like uncooked fish and manure, but Eiza never looked away from his eyes. " My name is Bunja. Your teachers tell me you're very gifted."

" I do what I must for the sake of being a Marine," Eiza said than turned around. She was looking at recruits practicing their sword styles and then she looked at Bunja rubbing the ashes out of his cigarette.

" Let's cut to the chase. The Marine's need powerful members to make sure we no longer have pirates sailing in the seas. We have powerful members but we don't have members who can end their crusades like you. It has come to our attention you have eaten the Chilly Chilly fruit." Bunja got off his seat and leaned down to star closely at Eiza. " Where did you get it?"

" From my father after I watched him die—he died trying to protect me." Eiza clenched her hand remembering how that monster slaughtered him. This was a contingency revenge plot; Bunja figured out her joining the Marine's was just a way to kill the man who murdered her father. Good Marine's frown down on their pupils trying to get revenge, but Bunja smiled to see it.

" What if I told you we were taking promising recruits who've passed with stellar marks and made them Admirals." Eiza froze. That was something that sounded too good to be true. " There's just one thing. Every powerful pirate you face I want you to capture them and bring them to me. You and four other Marine's will follow this rule. This isn't a team of screw ups so don't disappoint me."


	25. Chapter 25

**This chapter I had no help with. Sorry for the wait but it would have taken longer to get this chapter if I just waited for my beta reader to edit it. I didn't mention it last chapter but Eiza's flashback sequence is over. Her battle may be tedious to read but if this chapter doesn't make you sad, angry, or want to cheer for Eiza...it will be one or the other. Do you know why? Because Eiza was alone most of her life and now she has someone who's there for her. I'm not talking about one member of the crew without a name or two...I'm talking about the entire crew. Razi is no Monkey D. Luffy but he sure isn't someone who can't pack a punch. Please read and review. **

Chapter 25

X_X_X_X_X

After Eiza went through her backstory she was woken by the unceremonious laughter of Bave. Eiza clenched her fist, eerie blue light glowing out of her hand. She used her powers to create an ice saber, and gripped her saber tightly in hand.

Eiza rushed towards Bave. She slashed her wielded ice saber into Bave's chest. Bave's body was harder than Eiza originally thought. Her saber shattered against his chest. Eiza clenched fists white with anger. Slowly her fist was being formed in blue ice until her entire arm was frozen. Eiza was going to keep fighting Bave no matter how hopeless it seemed to her. She hit Bave in the chest and nothing happened. She punched him again, then again, and followed it with a third punch. Her punches felt like dandelions against Bve's skin. Bave rubbed his hands together and then he sent an uppercut that sent Eiza flying in the air and tumbling to the ground.

" Come on," Bave said, his voice laced with disappointment. " All these years and you haven't learned how to fight."

Eiza could barely hear him with her right ear pressed against the grass. Eiza was finished. Bave turned around, somewhat disappointed at how weak Eiza fights. His shadow shifting as he moved. He stopped after hearing a violet cough coming from someone behind him. He turned back to Eiza and saw her barely able to stand and glaring at him with hatred in her eyes. Bave enjoyed seeing Eiza getting back up...he had more wrestling moves he wanted to present to her. Eiza couldn't see his face because he was hiding under the trees in the shadows.

Eiza raised his right hand over her head. A hatchet made of ice appeared, she spoke. " I-will-never-forgive-you."

Eiza began coughing violently; feeling like the oxygen was being ripped from her lungs. Everything burned inside. Bave stood tall, his stature overpowering Eiza's. His face still hidden in the shadows. Eiza still believed she stood a chance against Bave, even if Bave disbelieved it.

She ran at Bave raising her hatchet above her head and crying like a barbarian. She gripped the hatchet tightly and swung into Bave's fiendish smile. Her hatchet shattered the same way as her saber, not strong enough for Bave's solid physique. Orios and Aria, watching the ordeal behind the trees, cried for Eiza who wouldn't just leave and save herself. Hitting her white fists against Bave's muscle bound chest. Every punch she made hurt her like glass in her legs, and Bave had a scoffed look on his face. But Eiza continued to punch him because memories were flashing back. It was like she was back with her father in their hometown. He was dead. He was lying in a pool of his own blood and Eiza was living in a bigger nightmare than death.

" How long are you going to keep hurting yourself?" Bave inquired. Bave's face was marred with confusion.

Eiza's face was marred with tears and grief. Orios and Aria gasped in alarm. Eiza was crying. Orios didn't know Eiza very well but she looked like a tough girl. To see her crying in battle was shocking to both of them. When she cried her little tears froze. She was then clutched by the neck by Bave who looked at her face and smiled.

" Good girl. Let me see the tears of your despair." Bave said. He raised his hand above his neck, bringing it to Eiza's cheek with a resonating CRACK! Eiza once again fell on the ground. Her cheek burned. She cupped her assaulted cheek. Glancing at Bave, the blissful expression still drawn across his face.

" Exquisite. I love punching those cheeks that can crack over and over again because their covered in ice." He explained wistfully. " Most of my victims would be begging for their lives right now. You're special, which is why I'll make it slow."

Eiza spat gruffly, and cracked her knuckles, ready to fight. Suddenly her leg was aching, and she could not move. Bave grabbed her. His hands clutched her neck once again. He lived up to his words. He squeezed her slowly as Eiza struggled to breath. Her slow death would leave Bave with no regrets. Eiza had many regrets not including the ones where she quit the marine core and joined five pirates, and she would lose those pirates who were the first friends she had. She regretted failing to kill Bave. Suddenly, Bave's grip on her throat loosened before he let go of her. Eiza slowly opened her eyes to see Razi standing in between her and staggered Bave. The fact that he was in his hybrid form and that Bave was holding his cheek made it clear that Razi had punched her opponent.

Razi launched at Bave as quickly as he could and attempted to cut the man with his claws, however Bave was pretty much immune to his attacks. The Devil Fruit user kept punching and while his punches failed to harm Bave they still forced him to step back occasionaly. Razi was rather determined as he kicked Bave with enough force to actually hurt the man. Bave furiously attempted to punch Razi who quickly jumped to the side, skidded behind Bave's back and attempted to bite the back of Bave's neck. Bave ducked under it and punched Razi before pushing him back. Razi panted a bit as he recovered from the attack still he managed to get up back to his feet just in time to jump back and dodge the incoming punch.

Finally Razi regained his composure and went for another assault, he ducked under Bave's punches and when he found an opening in Bave's defense he'd use it to land a hit, the two fighters went back and forth with Razi dodging or somehow blocking the attacks and landing pretty much useless punches. Bave was growing tired, not of the battle, but of Razi's constant dodging as he went for a feint, Razi unfortunately fell for it and just as he realized what was actually going on Bave slammed him into the ground. Earth beneath them cracked under pressure as Razi fought to set himself free. Bave was holding him by his neck and was ready to punch him. Desperate to free himself Razi bit down on Bave's left wrist surprisingly and finally drawing blood. Bave stepped back clutching his bleeding wrist as blood dripped down from it, Razi on the other hand spat out the blood that ended up dropping into his mouth when he bit his opponent.

" You'll pay for that wolf boy!"

Bave squeezed his fingers together in his arm that wasn't holding Razi. As soon as he squeezed his fingers gauntlets hidden on his arms appeared. The metallic color of his gauntlets were white and a small blue stone was in the bottom of them. Angered Bave sent a shockwave at a surprised Razi. The shockwave was strong enough to send Razi flying as unsuspecting pirate went straight through the trees, just as he was about to land Bave sent another shockwave that prolonged Razi's flight and sent him to the water.


	26. Chapter 26

**This may sound rude but to the person who reviewed they wanted this story to continue...I hope you leave at least one review about how you enjoyed this chapter. I finished this chapter with the help of BloodyMarryMe. Better than the last chapter if I have to say but I didn't have the vacation I had now to rewrite what I wrote. Please read and review please. **

Chapter 26

Razi could feel the air slowing leaving his lungs as his strength started weighing from the water currently enveloping him. He tried to struggle and swim up, towards the bright sunlight above him that marked the surface, but it was no use. He was as heavy as a hammer in the water and couldn't even move his limbs, as he slowly sank downwards. His vision started to become blurry as the pain in his chest worsened. It won't be long before he falls into unconsciousness at this rate.

'_Ah…so this is how it ends? Is this how I will die…I wasn't even able to protect my crewmember…Will Eiza be alright?'_ With his final thoughts, he started to close his eyes, his body already giving up as it was unable to save itself.

Just before everything went black, a shadow moved in the corner of his eyes. A silhouette of someone swimming in the water towards him.

'_Huh? Is it the old shaman guy,'_ Razi's muddled mind thought before he felt the person grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him towards the surface. The white light blinded him for a while when they resurfaced, and by the time he got his senses back, he was already lying on the sandy ground next to the lake.

"Razi! Razi!?" That black shadow was now towering over him, calling out his name and shaking him wiolently, but the wolf captain was too busy coughing out water to respond.

When his vision finally stabilized, the pirate captain could properly see the person in front of him. Their sharp glistening teeth and scaly green skin. "Momo? You saved me," the boy didn't need long to realize what was going on as he called out to his friend, his voice still hoarse from coughing.

Even though there was relief written on the sawshark's face, there was also disparagement. With one webbed hand, he slapped Razi across the cheek. Not as hard as he could've, but still enough to sting and bring the other to his senses. "What were you thinking?!" Momo's voice was higher than usual as he was still upset from worry. "You are a captain of this crew, how could you let yourself drown," it was more of a statement than an actual question as he didn't expect a reply.

Razi managed to sit up, rubbing his slightly red cheek. As much as Momo was upset, the captain was even more angry at himself for making such a giant blunder. If the fishman wasn't there to save him…The wolf boy gulped at the thought. He looked around, noticing that the rest of his crew were all standing around him. Jen, the skinny undead crewmate, the white haired swordsman and son of Smoker Daniel, and the electric Devil Fruit user and Skypien, Jane. One was, however, missing.

The worst came through Razi's head as he remembered the ice user who was harshly beaten by Bave the last time he saw her. "Where is Eiza?"

Jen was the one to answer, nodding his head in the direction of the ice woman. "Over there." There was a grim color in his tone.

The pirate captain followed the other's stare to see Eiza barely standing on her stumbling feet, yet still trying to fight the larger man before her. She jumped away from him as he tried to smash his fist into her, keeping her distance from him before using both hands to freeze Bave over. She then proceeded to create ice missiles, hoping to break the man's body while he was still frozen as a statue. However, it was no use. A crack on his right arm appeared and soon more followed, before he completely freed his hand. He used the glove on it to punch the air and create a shock wave with it that smashed the incoming projectiles and send Eiza flying backwards with a yelp. The rest of Bave's frozen body cracked and got freed as he stepped away from the icy remnants.

"She's having a hard time," Razi commented sourly as he glared at the giant man beating up his friend and nakama.

Jane scoffed at his comment, "She's fighting with everything she's got, like a woman should so don't underestimate her. She doesn't need help from you lot to fight this man. Especially not from a man."

Daniel, however, simply clicked his tongue at her words. "I don't know if old age had made you bind, woman, but she's obviously losing," he spat the words back at Jane.

The two glared at each other, ready to start the fight, but Jen's dark tone interrupted them. They heard the cocking sound of his pistol as he aimed it at the moving figure of Bave. "If he hurts Eiza I will shot him in the face!"

However, a green hand grabbed Jen's pistol and lowered it to the ground. The undead pirate gazed at his friend questioningly.

"You guys stop me when I go berserk or do stupid things, so I should do the same now. I think killing this man would be a bad thing," Momo said honestly.

The Skypiean frowned at the statement, obviously not agreeing. "How so? It's either we kill him or he kills us. Are you not seeing what he is doing to Eiza?!" For once, Jane openly showed her concern for a crewmember.

The group stared back at the small battlefield that has now been completely covered in ice from all of Eiza's attacks. Icy boulders and spikes were around the area, along with the empty shells of Bave's ice statues whenever the ex-marine tried to freeze his body. Right now, the girl was creating large ice boulders above them, sending them down to try and crush the man, but it was futile. Bave jumped to the side to dodge one bolder, using the ice to slide across it and get more speed, as he skidded across to dodge another. Ice fragments flew around them as the boulder shattered onto the ground. The third, he didn't even bother to dodge, as he clenched his fist and sent a strong shockwave above him, destroying the last boulder. He smirked as small ice crystals rained down on them. The ex-marine was already panting hard from her wounds and exhaustion, while Bave barely seemed effected by any of it.

Jane sighed at the sight. "She doesn't even have a chance against him. At this point, it seems she's only trying to live long enough to get away from him. She can try all she wants, but she's obviously scared of him, and that's what's making her powers dwindle. The girl will never beat him at this rate," the Skypiean argued, wanting to kill Bave after all.

However, for some reason, the fishman still wouldn't have it. "I will not let Eiza use her powers to kill people!"

The swordsman tilted his head quizzically at his friend. "Why do you care if this hulking monstrosity dies or not? His life should be worth nothing to you."

Momo's eyes suddenly softened as his expression changed into a troubled one. "I am afraid that if we kill someone, even if they are a bad person, we will become worse than them and our lives will be ruined," he explained.

"So that's worth risking Eiza's life?!" Jen wasn't convinced by that and pointed his gun at Bave one more time, ready to shoot to save his friend.

Yet out of nowhere, Orios appeared and used the end of his staff to hit Jen's gun and lower it to the ground again. "No! Eiza is still going through her test so you must not interfere or she will be disqualified and you will all fail the trial. She can only pass this if she is strong enough to overcome her weaknesses," the older man explained.

The group stared back at the battlefield again as they saw Eiza's angry shout.

The ice girl rushed at Bave with the last of her strength, two ice make-shift short swords in each of her hands. She slashed one at Bave's side and didn't wait to see if he would dodge or block before she used the other to pierce at his chest. However, the man was as quick as he was strong. He stepped backwards to avoid the slash, before using the elbow of his closer arm to hit at Eiza's wrist, making her drop the other weapon. Before she had time to retreat, the man threw another punch directly at her face.

'No, I don't have time to dodge!' Quickly reacting, she crossed both arms in front of her face, shielding herself from the incoming punch, as she used ice to cover her entire upper body, using it as a protective coating. She managed to stop and block Bave's punch, which still made her slide a few meters backwards from the force of it. A numbing pain entered her arms from making contact with such a force. Still, the girl didn't falter as she glared up darkly at her opponent.

The man only gave her a sadistic grin in return. Still holding his fist against her arms, he used the gloved to create another shockwave that hit the girl directly this time, sending pain coursing through her body which flew backwards. With a scream of pain, Eiza flew back and harshly hit the ground, her body still rattling from the aftershock.

Jen gritted his teeth enough to hurt as he saw the scene, the hand in which he held his guy, trembling Still, he didn't aim at Bave again, as he closed his eyes in resignation. Momo's and Orios' words echoed in his mind, holding his back from acting. However, he couldn't stand Eiza's screams of pain that he was hearing. He couldn't give up on her yet! "There must be something we can do to help her! I refuse to just stand aside and watch my friend get hurt like this!"

In return, the shaman slammed the butt of his staff to the ground, making is quake slightly. "You will do no such thing if you want to possess the Going Merry!" His voice sounded warning and harsh now, as he ended it as the last of their discussing on the matter.

Meanwhile, before Eiza could get up from the previous hit, Bave appeared before her in an instant. The ice girl gasped in shocked as she saw his large form above her. He used both his arms to lock them securely around her torso, as if giving her a bear hug. Yet, this was more than just a pleasantry. Instead, the man started clutching the smaller form between his arms, slowly applying pressure to Eiza's ribcage and squeezing the air out of her. The girl chocked in pain and struggled, but it was useless. Her physical strength was nothing compared to his, especially now when she was already so beaten up.

"Juuust a little bit longer, little girl. Give up and this will be over quickly," Bave chuckled in amusement at Eiza's pale face and widely opened eyes.

"Haaaaa!" Suddenly a voice came from the side, but by the time the large man registered it, it was already too late.

Razi punched the other man with all his might, right into the side of his face. The strong force made Bave her got of Eiza before he was sent flying into a nearby tree, making the whole tree topple over before it stopped his flight.

"Don't you dare hurt my nakama!" The wolf captain yelled in anger, clenching the fist that just made contact with Bave's head.

"R-Razi!?" Eiza blinked in surprise to see her captain once again back to her aid.

Meanwhile, the Orios and the others were just in the middle of their discussion as the shaman warned Jen not to act, before they all heard a familiar angry shout come from their captain. They didn't even notice he was gone before it was already too late.

"Huh?!" Orios' eyes almost fell out of their sockets in surprise as he turned around to see Razi punch Bave and send him flying. The kid did one thing, he was forbidden from. The shock on Orios' face actually looked comical at this point. "What the hell are you doing, brat!?"

Jane and Daniel sight in unison. "Ah…now he did it…," Daniel complained with a sweat drop as he saw his captain in action.

A rustling from nearby was heard as the large enemy got up and crushed the tree branches under his feet, walking back to Razi and Eiza. "You again, kid? Didn't I already send you flying? Came back for more, did ya?" He clutched both his fists that were covered in his fingerless metal gauntlets.

The wolf boy didn't say anything this time, only prepared himself for a fight as he took a stance. He didn't falter even as Bave came rushing at him with a yell.

The man used one gauntlet to punch at Razi, also creating a shockwave, but the wolf was too quick. The pirate captain easily jumped upwards to avoid the fist, along with the blast from the weapon, and sent a sideways kick towards Bave's head. The other used his remaining hand to block the kick, grapping Razi's ankle and slamming him towards the ground with a shout. "Ya!" However, even as the boy was slammed onto his back, he used to opportunity while Bave was towering over him to punch the man straight into his face. The fist connected, making Bave release him and stumbled backwards in surprise.

A small trickle of blood dripped from the corner of the larger man's mouth, and he wiped it away with his thumb. Staring at his own blood, Bave's eyes narrowed sharply and he glared back at the pirate boy. "All that power didn't come from your Devil Fruit. Unless you are planning on showing me a new power, I would think you deliberately ate a Devil Fruit to weaken yourself," the older man concluded darkly, suspiciously staring at the boy.

Razi seemed a bit surprised that Bave noticed, so he allowed him an explanation. "My Devil Fruit wasn't meant to give me power. I ate it so I could live and breathe like a human, talk like a human, and fight like a human. Marco said I ate a fairy tale fruit that turned me into a human," he answered blankly, as if there was nothing strange about what he just said.


	27. Chapter 27

**If your disappointed with this chapter I will understand. I didn't have the help of my co-author BloodyMarryMe and it just felt strange what I was writing on this chapter. The weirdest part was the ending. I started writing it on paper but since I was probably going to be busy tomorrow I wrote the rest on the computer. This chapter was mostly posted because Matryn told me to update. Hope the ending of this chapter doesn't gross everyone out. **

Chapter 27

Razi was applauded for his inspiring speech about himself and his Devil Fruit. For a moment everyone believed they could stop Bave-supposedly-by working together. Daniel, Jane, Jen, and Momo; everyone was there boosted by Razi's courage and his speech about his Devil Fruit.

" I like how you call your Devil Fruit a fairy tale. The only thing missing from your story is the fairy tail dragon!" A voice rang in everyone's ears like a cannon fire.

Bave was no longer the one Razi's crew had to fight. A creature dark as the trees shrouded at night emerged from the ground. The thing looked like a dragon. Everyone knew the only bipedal dragon, no claws for hands, giant wings that looked like swan's. and dark sharp teeth with eyes coloured the same way as the rest of its body belonged to Umbrage. The creation was so big its teeth were a mass of pure death, even Bave was trembling in terror seeing that face.

" Ha!" Daniel laughed upon seeing the dragon. " If Umbrage is trying to be scary he should have tried making that thing more Jane looking."

Jane's eyebrows flared in anger and her eyes bulged red. The first thing she was thinking about was Daniel fried by her electric Devil Fruit on a grill to be cooked for sharks or other carnivores, but instead she punched his right shoulder.

" I have met a few men I wanted to kill. The only reason your still alive is your not worth my power."

" You kind of sound like a jerk when you make fun of a girl like that." Jen said.

" Guys..." Everyone looked at Momo. He was the one calling for their attention.

Momo the powerful Sawshark Fishman who faced many monstrous pirates, assassins, and marine's dropped his metal staff. The sky got the attention of everyone. Someone was plummeting to the ground...and it was Eden. His face was bloody, a knife blade made of the same shadows that created the dragon protruding from his throat, and he was falling with his wings sticking out of his back. Eiza froze his body in a tower of ice, the ice was transparent and on his right leg there was a small spear made of shadows going through the upper part of his leg.

" He's not dead." The voice rang. The knife that went through Eden's neck fell apart. There was no hole in Eden's neck, he was never stabbed to begin with. " He tried to get off this island to deliver a message. I didn't want him to so we fought. He tried to make me fly into the ocean to drown with his wings but I summoned my dragon. The dragon consumed him in a cave unbreakable once most people get inside it. He was a pathetic weak marine not worth my time...killing him would have done the world a favor, but he called me a monster so I wanted him to SEE the best I can use my powers."

Umbrage appeared in the air with a giant ring of shadows circled around his feet. Everyone was surprised to see Umbrage flying this way. His eyes weren't even open when he was controlling the ring. The moment he did open his eyes they were bright with light that was black and also terrifying. Four giant crab legs came out of the ground and grabbed the circle; Umbrage's glowing eyes were fading as he smirked.

" My powers are strongest when I'm in the forest. You might have knew that in our last encounter, Razi or as I like to say wolf boy...captain of a bunch of people I despise...but not as much as I loathe the boy who defeated me on that drunk bitch captain's island."

Umbrage turned his eyes to Bave. Bave made a sound to get his attention. The next thing that happened to Bave...the same claws Umbrage used to help his landing came out of the ground and trapped Bave. Then dark rings formed around Bave's arms. They seemed to be wrapped around him very tight because Bave couldn't break out of them even when it looked like he was trying.

" You can't do this!" Bave shouted. Umbrage was nonchalant about Bave's yelling. He was avoiding him well even though Bave was loud. " I was told I could crush them before you and you could only come after I was defeated."

" Was that the plan? If it was it was a dumb plan. Everyone knows the privilege of stopping the enemies of the leader goes to the leader. I was impressed with your strength so I won't kill you. You see...I never once believed you could stop Razi or his crew. I imagined Razi would find a way to defeat someone with all muscle and no brains like I was when I transformed. After defeat I allowed a doctor to perform surgery on me making me muscle and brains."

Umbrage clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Whatever was put inside Umbrage's body helped him get bigger, his muscles grew till they were the size of Bave's, his pectoral muscles oscillating like jaws. Umbrage's forehead seemed to expand and his eyebrows moved closer together. He was now taller and stronger. As his body changed the crew prepared to fight him.

Razi grew his sharp claws from his fingers as he turned into his hybrid form, Daniel unsheathed his two swords followed by swinging his swords, Momo picked up his staff again twirling around with it and stuck it in the ground as if he was claiming _this _his spot, Eiza blew cold air at the trees freezing the leaves, Jane fired a ball of lightning from her palm shattering the leaves, and Jen fired from his guns a bullet that burned an entire branch off a tree.

" You can't stop all of us together!" Jen exclaimed pointing his guns where he believed they would hit Umbrage face. " You were a fool to come back after Razi and I defeated you."

" If I'm going to be defeated at least it won't be by a worthless man with pistols. I know your the one with the Devil Fruit that keeps you alive. Your Devil Fruit is the only strong thing about you. I made a Haiku for you. Lowest member of wolf boy's crew, doesn't know how much he reeks, wins only by luck, is going to be the first member to die."

Jen gritted his teeth even though that insult made Jen want to cry more than shot Umbrage. Daniel thought it was funny and true and was holding back laughing out loud when suddenly he felt like he was standing in quicksand. Like anyone in quicksand he was sinking through the ground. Daniel stared down at his feet and saw a black muck that was created from Umbrage using his powers.

" Oh you got to be-AGGGHHHH!"

Umbrage almost got rid of Daniel with his move. The only thing that saved him was Momo yelling " Grab this!" Daniel grabbed the metal pipe and was pulled out of the ground. Daniel's swords fell out of his arms and fell into Umbrage's dark puddle. The puddle vanished after Daniel lost his swords.

" Where are my swords?" Daniel asked.

" I stole them from you." Umbrage said.

The sword Daniel was given from Loguetown came out of a puddle of shadows. Yoko Rashien was used on another shadow Umbrage created that looked like a horse. With one slash Umbrage cut the horse's head off.

" Give that back to me you bastard!"

Daniel charged at Umbrage ready to punch him in the face for taking his sword. Daniel would rather use a sword than punch someone but his weapons were gone. Umbrage stopped Daniel controlling his dragon to guard. The dragon lowered its head to devour Daniel.

" Daniel, rolled out of the way!" Razi shouted running towards Daniel with his Devil Fruit cancelling glove on his arm.

Daniel did what Razi ordered him to do and stepped out of the way. Razi smashed his fist right into the dragon's face. After one giant dragon roar the dragon burst and fell into the ground like water. The shadows that hit the ground turned into shadow spots.

" You idiot!" Umbrage yelled after his creation was gone. " Do you know how hard it was to make a dragon with shadows? I couldn't give my creation all the things dragon have but it was a friend to me..." Umbrage hit himself in the head and took a deep breath to calm himself down. When he was calm he said more things to Razi. " Before I fight you and throw you into shadows you can't escape from...I have something to confess."

" Going to confess your sins to the only sweet boy who listens to you?" Eiza asked glaring at Umbrage. It was clear she disliked him.

" I'm happy about all the people I killed, bitch. I want to tell you something you probably didn't know when I was on your ship. I was sent there to kill all of you. I could have killed you without even being on your ship. I could create a whale that would thrash into your ship until you were stranded with no way of surviving. I couldn't do it before I meet you Razi but after you sparred my life I made it my mission to kill you wolf boy and everyone you love ' cause all the things you've shown me leave a slimy feeling in my heart. Why couldn't you just see I am with the bad guys?"

Umbrage used his shadows to create something that pushed Razi towards Umbrage with Umbrage pulling his hands together so his sea stone couldn't touch him. Everyone in the crew were terrified. Eiza fired ice projectiles at Umbrage, Jen fired bullets hot enough to burn through wood, and Jane fired lightning in the sky that would hit Umbrage as it was a lightning bolt. Momo even threw his metal pipe at Umbrage.

" You will not be killing anyone today!" Eiza shouted.

Umbrage protect himself with the biggest and strongest of barriers. He summoned a monster with shadows so rough they almost looked like rocks. His creature had pointy ears and one eye on his forehead with two eyes in the same place human eyes were. His eyes were glowing a different color of black than his shadow and it had four arms. The giant used his tough body and four arms to swat, block, and deflect everything the crew used to try to destroy it.

" Your crewmates are the most useless people I have ever seen." Umbrage said in disappointment. " They have no idea who they are facing. They are facing the most powerful of people who are bad. I have become more than a human. I'm a parasite."

Umbrage put his big pointy left hand fingers on Razi's chin and his right hand he put behind Razi's head. Razi wasn't very smart but he knew what Umbrage was going to do to him, but he had no idea in his head why Umbrage would do it with someone he loathed. Umbrage forced Razi's mouth open with his left hand by pulling on his chin.

Poor Razi was kissed by the son of Gekko Moriah Umbrage.


	28. Chapter 28

**I'm sorry if the fight scenes in this chapter isn't as exciting as the fights in my earlier chapters but I was in a rush to finish this chapter because tomorrow I'll be gone for a week and I wanted to update sooner. I promise I will edit my chapters one of these days. Please read and review. **

Chapter 28

Umbrage was really kissing Razi. Past the sharp teeth Umbrage inherited from his father was a real tongue like every human-being. Razi was being kissed by a boy. His tongue or whatever coiled around Razi's mouth pushed him back so they could kiss lips. The only member of the crew who wanted Umbrage to keep his mouth away from Razi's was Jen; he beleived Umbrage was given more than new muscles when hsi doctor performed surgery.

Umbrage's feelings were the strangest of any pirate Razi ever faced. After kissing Razi and giving Momo, Jen, and Eiza something forbidden for a captain and give them nightmares Umbrage controlled his four arm creation to grab Razi.

" You're the first person I kissed wolf boy. I want you to know that kiss was never for you. There were many other women I wanted it to be with." The giant raised one of his five fingers holding Razi. There was a block spot of shadows with a long black hand reaching out. With Umbrage's eyes flashing with the same brightness as a lighthouse his hand grabbed Razi's glove. " I heard about this glove you use. It is made of a seastone apparently. What I never understood was how the seastone could touch your skin and you wouldn't pass out from it. In all your fights I hear this thing could negate the attacks if they came from someone with a Devil Fruit. No doubt this would have been your last resort in defeating me." Umbrage's shadowy hand raised Razi's seastone glove and dropped it in his pale hand. Umbrage slipped the glove over his left hand. " With this glove no one will stop me so you better say your good-byes and be prepared to have all your Devil Fruit friends die by your glove."

Razi couldn't get one word out with Umbrage giant four-armed shadow squeezing him until his lungs broke. The more the giant hurt Razi the more brown fur grew over his face and the bigger his ears grew. His arms were the second thing to grow. When he was near death-very close without air and being crushed-his body tried to reach his fourth form, the form that made him big and mean. What stopped Razi from changing and saving his life was Jen making a bullet made of the same seastone as what gave Razi's glove its cancelling capabilities.

" You've gone to far trying to kill Razi!" Jen loaded the bullets into both his guns and fired at the arm crushing Razi.

Jen created the bullet yesterday. He asked Razi where he got his sea stone and after Razi told him he asked Lucas and Mia to use her powers speeding a life boat to Razi's old raft he didn't know Razi brought. It wasn't the same raft Razi had on the Golden Hope but it worked fine. It also made Jen wonder where he got the raft. In just thirty minutes of sailing there and back with their Devil Fruit powered raft they came back with a small bag of sea stones. Because Jen was only alive from being a Devil Fruit user he had to rely on his sister to craft the bullets for his gun. It wasn't easy for them to make the bullets but if Jen didn't make them Razi would never have gotten free.

Momo leaped out of the woods and caught Razi. " Eiza." Momo wanted the crew's doctor to have a look at Razi. By the tiem Eiza made it to Razi his arms returned to their original size but his face was still covered in fur. Momo glared at Umbrage in the eyes. " Give him back his glove, give Daniel back his swords, leave Bave for Eiza to hurt, and leave this island-"

Momo was cut off before he could finish telling at Umbrage. " Don't you dare say OR!" Umbrage raised his arm without the seastone on it and fired projectiles in the air.

" Rain of the Spear Shadows!"

The shadows Umbrage fired in the air were in the shape of spears. They went high in the air and unpredictable. It was the middle of the day and no one could see the black spears immersed in the sky. One thing that was certain was all the crewmates, they were in danger with spears raining from the sky. Momo almost ran into the trees to hide in the shade.

" You aren't seriously planning on hiding?" Daniel said to Eiza who barely moved from her spot. " This guys powers are used to controls the shadows and the darkness. Only an idiot tries going to the place that makes him stronger."

" No offence, but I can say the same thing about you, snowflake." Jane said. " Your the idiot who runs up to a guy who can slice your intestines out of your belly. Face it, your nothing when your not holding two swords."

" Guys, what about Bave, Orios, and Aria? Their all in danger of the falling spears." Said Eiza. Daniel and Jane completely forgot about those two.

Daniel and Jane didn't have time to question why Eiza cared so much if their enemy Bave lived or died. Daniel and Jane moved towards Orios and Aria who were looking everywhere to get away from the spears of shadows going to impale them like swords thrown at them.

" I was a fool not to stop the test when I heard there were bad people on my island." Orios sighed.

" We are going to get out of this, Orios," Aria told his master.

He looked up to see one shadow spear falling towards his head. Jane's arm created sparks of concentrated electricity she then fired at the spear falling towards Orios. In just one explosion the shadow spear was gone. Jane didn't have to wonder how many more spears were going to fall down because four spears after the other were falling in a straight line towards Orios's head. Jane repeatedly fired electricity from her hand while Daniel dragged Orios and Aria somewhere he thought they were going to be safe.

" Excuse me if I'm wrong but wouldn't staying by the lady with a electric Devil Fruit be safer than staying with you." Orios said. " No offence but what would you do if a spear-"

Daniel pushed Orios. He didn't push it because he was mad at the shaman but because if he didn't move him a spear would have went through his head. Daniel hadn't used his reflexes this well since that time he was a paid guard on a ship.

Eiza used her ice powers to create an ice umbrella the size of a wolf and in the shape of a butterfly. All of the spears that fell on the butterfly weren't strong enough to break through it ended with the spears breaking on contact. Eiza was in a meditative position so she could use her inner self powers to create more ice butterflies around her and Bave. Bave found Eiza helping her to make him smile.

" After so long of me killing people I'm being saved by the daughter of a man I killed. Keeping you alive was a good choice, but if I killed you I wouldn't have to fight you and spears wouldn't be falling towards my head. The complexity, the pondering, the insanity and-"

Eiza got out of her meditation hitting Bave in the face. She wanted to do it just as she wanted to do when she started training to be a Marine. There was no way Eiza could resist the chance to hurt the person who murdered her father.

" Killing you now isn't going to do me any justice. It's never too late to kill you but my training to kill you will mean nothing if you are killed by someone else. I am indefatigable when it comes to hunting you. I'm only putting my feelings of killing you on hold until it's just you and me alone." Eiza punched Bave in the face a second time after ending her speech. It was the hardest time she punched someone without putting ice on her fist. Punching Bave hurt her hand more than she hurt him.

Umbrage had a way of controlling shadows without the shadows being on the ground. He used his powers to create a ball of shadows in his hands. He tossed the balls in his left hand and then his other hand when Jen fired two exploding bullets at him. Umbrage extended the ball of shadows and blocked Jen's bullets with his shadow.

" I hate to ruin your fun but you are the weakest of the crew and your going to be my first victim." Umbrage said.

Jen was so scared by Umbrage's eerie coloured glowing eyes he backed away from Umbrage but Jen was not getting any closer away from Umbrage because of the solid wall of shadows behind him. Jen now knew what Umbrage was planning...he was trying to make sure Jen couldn't move so he could hit him with Razi's Devil Fruit cancelling glove.


	29. Chapter 29

**Sorry again. This chapter was suppose to be sent earlier but I had to do lots of editing. I would also like to thank LuNaLoverForever for helping me write this chapter. I know all of you reading this chapters are my biggest fans and I would like to thank all of you for being patient. Please read and review. **

Chapter 29

Umbrage sees a lot of people he hated and only two he respected. One of the boys he respected was Razi; he's never been able to stop any enemy like Wolf Fang Razi. His enemies were no longer a threat with the Devil Fruit cancelling glove he stole. The best part about it was it only took one punch to weaken then kill a Devil Fruit user.

Someone was going to deliver a punch to him before Umbrage could make Jen's soul leave his body. Umbrage moved shadows all over his body to turn them into something that could counter the punch Razi was about to deliver into him. He shot a punch staight into the man's face, then turned back to jen, but when he turned all he saw was invisible air, she disappeared.

" You should have died! I'm sick and tired of not watching you die!" Umbrage yelled bringing his two sharp scissor blades out.

Umbrage aimed his blades straight for Razi's head. Razi had no focus for the scissors. The only reason the scissors didn't decapicate him was Jane flying in using her Skypien wings and kicking Razi out of the way.

Razi rolled away and dodged, but Jane wasn't that lucky.

"Aggggghhhhhh!" Jane screamed as Umbrage's scissor blades cut into her side.

"Jane!" Razi screamed already up as he watched Umbrage cut her side.

" I'll get you back for that, you bastard!" Jane shouted even though she was in pain. Her hands created an electric charge thanks to her electric devil fruit she was going to zap Umbrage with.

Jane attacked, but Umbrage swiftly dodged and disappeared. Jane blinked, but all it took was a seccond and Umbrage appeared behind her rised his blades, already prepared for her death. Just before his blades made contact with her back, Razi blocked his attack with a haki armored arm.

" H-How did you learn haki?!" Umbrage gasped.

Jane, Daniel, Eiza, Momo, Jen, and the shaman with his pet were all surprised at how Razi suddenly made his arm hard as steel.

Razi pushed his swords back creating a space between them.

"I learned it, because I needed to protect my friends!" Razi exclaimed with stern and unforgiving eyes glaring back at Umbrage. Those words enraged Umbrage.

"Shut the crap up!" Umbrage yelled in rage as he darted forwrd for another attack. " Inmissable Shadow Giant!"

Umbrage controlled more shadows than he thought was possible. Razi's gloves on his hands didn't make his powers feel any weaker. Instead of weakness all he felt was strength. His shadows moved together creating a giant man with a spiky shadow beard jutting out and eerie white eyes.

Umbrage laughed as the giant man clenched his fist and swooped down to smash Razi into the ground.

" I'll help you, Razi!" Momo shouted.

The saw shark fishman managed to run next to Razi in time and punched the giant's fist simultaneously with Razi's Haki armored fist. Together, they punched the giant man's fist and destroyed the shadow. Umbrage clenched his teeth he didn't think they could beat the giant so easily.

" Razi may not have his gloves to break that shadows, but me and Momo aren't Devil Fruit users you big idiot." Daniel laughed at Umbrage.

"It doesn't matter.." Umbrage said in a low whisper. At that Daniel stopped laughing anf faced Umbrage. All of a sudden, Daniel was on the floor from a punch to the gut.

A shadow punched Daniel. Umbrage was the one who controlled the shadows to hit Daniel, he then used another shadow to pull on Daniel's white hair. Umbrage chuckled darkly, but before he could send another blow, Razi kicked his head forcing him to let go of Daniel.

Dirty and sharp, those were Razi's feet and they left a wound on Umbrage's head that needed to be watched. Now now...Umbrage wanted to kill Razi. Umbrage snapped his head back and glared daggers back at Razi.

"If you want to play with glass, I'LL GIVE YOU GLASS!" Roared Umbrage as shadows formed into sharp broken pieces of glass. The shadows shot forward, trying to hit Razi. Razi stood determined and focus, as he used his haki to dodge the glass but he didn't see the large piece of glass shoot into his leg.

"Gahhhhh!" Razi screamed as the shadow peirced his leg, and started to bleed uncontrollably. He quickly swooped down and grabed the shadow with his haki and pulled it out. Daniel quickly ran over, holding a peice of clothe she had ripped off. She slid down and started to wrap his leg. Umbrage was still standing there doing nothing, until he disappeared.

" Be careful Momo, Eiza, and anyone besides me who can still fight," Daniel said helping Razi with the bandages because Daniel was the swordsman of the crew and not the doctor. " I think I know this psychopath to know he doesn't leave easily."

Everyone nodded, as they cept a wathful eye. Momo swore he saw something, but before he could open his mouth, Umbrage kicked his back-hard-making him fall face first.  
"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Umbrage yelled as he pushed Momo's head further into the ground. Everyone gasped, they saw that Umbrage had crazed and unfocused eyes that made him look creeper than ever before. Finally wrapped in a cloth, Razi got up at full speed and kicked Umbrage off of Momo, while Eiza helped Momo get up.

"IF YOU FIGHT TO MUCH THE WOUND WILL GET EVEN WORSE THAN IT ALREADY IS!" Daniel yelled after him as he continued to fight Umbrage.

Razi listened but was too busy delivering a flurry of punches followed by a final scratch to Umbrage's face. Razi's moves would have knocked Umbrage down if the son of Gecko couldn't shot shadows from his mouth. They were covering Razi, squeezing his bodies like what Razi's pet snake Kaya would do if the snake wanted to kill its master.

Razi struggled and struggled but it would only tighten. Razi relaxed and focused all of his strength to one attack. He suddenly bursted through the shadow sending a huge wave force around him. The sudden move shocked Umbrage as he finally went down.

For the second time Umbrage was defeated by someone he expected to be weak and powerless against him. This time Umbrage wanted Razi to not be merciful...to just kill him.

Razi slowly walked over to the lying body of Umbrage.

"Just...Kill me..." Umbrage managed to say through breaths. Razi just sighed.

"Why?" Razi stopped his breath and looked at him.

"Because I don't want to live...not like last time..." Umbrage spoke rasply.

" But the last time we fought I thought you wanted to be my friend? You chased me, you talked to me, and you were strong. If my guardian Marco was here he would have a hard time fighting you." Razi said.

"I don't care...there's nothing left to...live for..." Umbrage said ignoring the statement. Razi frowned.

"No, there is things to live for-" Razi started but was cut of my Umbrage.

"NO THERE IS NOTHING LEFT!" Umbrage shouted, but that wasn't what shocked Razi, it was his tears.

Razi smiled, "Then move on from your defeats and learn from your mistakes, because there's more to life than pain, suffer, and defeat...Alot more..." There was a pause of silence before Umbrage nodded, no more tears being shed.

"...Y-you're right..." Umbrage said, "But I don't think I can ever forget...and might never move on-"

"YOU CAN MOVE ON AND CONTINUE YOUR LIFE!" Razi shouted, tired by his stubborness. Razi took a deep breath and calmed down. "Instead of fighting, search for the happiness you never had." Razi said in a much calmer voice.

"Yeah..." Umbrage whispered, before Razi falling to the floor because of blood loss, and Umbrage started to slowly close his eyes.

The whole crew then heard something that sounded like birds flying above them. It was strange they heard that because the only bird they knew on this island belonged to the shaman. They looked up, a giant bird hovering over them, it's shadow casting over them. What they thought were birds now looked like people with wings on their backs and one of them was Eden.

They finally swooped down and landed on their bare feet. There were about 5 of them, each one with a different color of clothes. The first one, had a dark red coak, with a medium red loose sleeve shirt underneath with baggy black pants. He had distinctive bright red hair and brown eyes-a rare combination. The second one was yellow, she had a light yellow cloak with a white dress underneath embroidered with yellow lace. She had blond hair with golden eyes. The third was blue, he had a sky blue colored cloak, a baggy white shirt with a navy colored sash with loose jeans. Unlike the first two, he had black hair instead of the matching color. The fourth one was green, different from the three before him, he had a black jacket and a dark green short sleeved shirt with white trimmings. He had a dark brown belt with a lighter green pants. He also had a different hair color of his clothes. He had white hair(not old) with emerald green eyes. The last one was purple, she had a metallic silver jacket with a purple tank top. She had a navy purple jean shorts and what appeared to be was a tattoo on her leg. She had black hair pulled back in an amythest clip. She had blue eyes and pale skin besides be in the sun. All five had no shoes, just bare feet. Each of them also had a foot bracelet marking their stone. The first one had a ruby pendant, the second one has a topaz pendant, the third one had a sapphire pendant, the fourth one had an emerald pendant, and the last one had an amythest pendant.

Daniel was the first to speak up after they arrived. " Is it just me or do you think these people came here because they want one of our crewmates?"

As soon as she had spoken those words, everyone had taken a fighting stance, while the strangers where still calm.

"What do you want?" Daniel sneered.

" I'm the only one who has the power to destroy a zombie," the one with the dark red cloak said. " I know for a fact one of your crewmates is in fact a zombie. I believe you've called him Jen. But we're not here for him."

" Quite indeed." Agreed the blond girl.

"We're her for-" the red cloak man continued before he was cutoff.

"YOU ARE NOT TAKING ANYONE!" Daniel shouted.

Daniel with Momo grasped their weapons tightly to block anything the five cloaked things were going to send towards them.

But they didn't move, they just stayed calm.

"There is no need for a fight." The purple girl said.

Daniel and Momo immediately dropped their weapons. They were still not sure if they were telling the truth or a lie. The strangers smiled, not a wicked one, but a heart-warming smile. That smile insured them that they weren't going to harm anyone.

" We just wanted to see a very important crewmate of yours. She is in her fifties, is a Skypien, and has helped Skypien's and humans form a treaty."

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"Is that all?" Momo asked. The cloaked people nodded.

Momo was expecting a little more they were going to ask Jane to come with them and the thought of losing their cook was so dramatic it made Momo want to rescue her.

"Ok then..." Momo stepped aside revealing Jane, who nervously waved.

It was unlike Jane to get nervous. She was the angriest and most violent member of their crew, not to mention their oldest.

The strangers smiled. "Let me introduce us." said the red cloaked man. "I'm Reden, the guy next to me, dressed in blue, is Sky. This lady to my right, is Starlin." The blond girl waved with a smile. Reden continued, "The man behind me, is Fredrick, and the girl next to him, is Destiny."

" I'm Momo. My friend with the two swords is Daniel. Our unconscious friend is Jen. You already know Razi." Said Momo.

" I'm Eiza," Eiza said grabbing both sides of her clothes and bowing.

" And the boy with the brown hair is Razi."

"Good now we know each other, we want to thank jane." Redden said as all of them bowed.

" Why do you want to thank Jane?" Daniel asked. Daniel was the only member of the crew who hated Jane.

"She helped the Skypiens and the humans to create a treaty, without the treaty, everything would be in chaos!" Destiny spoke. Destiny bowed again but this time she muttered something, not loud enough for the rest to here, but only Daniel could make out her mutter. "and for a lot of things she did in the past..."

" Wow. Did you really help your people get along with humans? That must be why you traveled with human bandits before you killed them and joined us. Could you make a treaty for fishmen and humans?" Momo was so excited he couldn't stop talking to Jane.

"Well...fishmen and humans have a stronger bond of hatred so it might not work as the Skypien treaty." Jane stated, shrugging her shoulders a little.

" Are you have going to go now or would you rather hear a dumb speech from Razi on why you should join his crew?" Daniel asked.

"No we're not done. The real reason we came here, is because we need to deliver a special package to Razi." Sky said.

Razi who was tired after battling Bave and then Umbrage pushed threw Daniel and Momo to get to Sky and the other four.

"You!" Umbrage shouted in his face. "How dare you show your face again after what you did!" Umbrage practically screamed.

' _Is he yelling at Razi or one of the people who know Jane?'_ Eiza asked herself thinking to herself.

Sky frowned and sighed, "Umbrage...it's been quite a while. And I still need to apologize to you."

"YOUR APOLOGY WON'T BRING THEM BACK!" Umbrage yelled, cutting Sky off.

"Who?" Asked Momo.

"Dunno." Replied Daniel with a shrug.

Umbrage never told anyone on the crew anything about himself so they didn't know anything about him. He never even told them how he lived in an orphanage and betrayed him or that Sky 'used' to be his best friend and how he ruined his life. But how could your life be ruined more when you killed villagers and became a runaway? Sky did something worse than that, betrayed him, tricked him. Umbrage wanted him dead the most.

" Shadow-"

Umbrage was stopped Razi touching his shoulder with one of his sea stones inside his glove. Umbrage felt his strength fading, but refused to fall. He stood there glaring at Sky.

" Don't do it, Umbrage," said Razi.

"Tell me a reason why I shouldn't. You don't know about me, him, or our past. Why should you stop me?" Umbrage replied with an unwavering expression.

" Because as a member of my crew I won't let you hurt any friends of your other nakama."

"Nakama? Sky is not my my friend and never was. If he didn't want me to become what I am today, he would have never done it." Umbrage said still not backing down.

Razi was going to have to knock Umbrage out if he couldn't calm down. New Nakama's were the hardest to control.

"Then tell me, what would you do if someone crushed your life when you were merely a child? huh?" Umbrage growled back.

" I would rip them out with my teeth because when I was a child I was a wolf pup," Razi said.

"Exactly, then why would you stop me?" Umbrage said.

" I'm the captain so IF I say your not allowed to hurt someone you say okay captain Razi."

Umbrage huffed. " fine, I'll try to control myself." Umbrage said defeated as he looked away. Razi smiled. "Good!" He exclaimed as hit patted umbrage's back. Umbrage coufed/yelped due to the pain and the fight they just had.

Razi was so busy talking to Umbrage that he missed a few things his crew talked about with the five Skypien's.

"Sooooo, what did you want to deliver?" Asked Momo.

" Something worth millions of beli's to your kind, not even a hundred to ours, but we expect to get thousands of beli's for selling it," Sky said.

"And we have a special delivery for Umbrage, something very precious to him as much as his life." Destiny added.

Umbrage used part of the shadows from everyone on the crew to create a giant fist with spikey knuckles. One punch of the fist would bring someone into complete agony. " Your working for the man taking control of Alabastia!"

Sky slightly flinched, but nether the less, he have the package to umbrage before scrambling behind Reden. Umbrage still had the hard expression but curiosity beat him to it. He slowly took off the wrapping and gazed down before picking up an pendent. The pendant was a jewel shaped of a dragon. The jewel was a legendary, the Meco. The Meco was a cross between emerald, diamond, sapphire, and a mysterious teal colored gem. In the center of the dragon was a circle plate if gold with LM carved into it. Umbrage inmediently reqonized it, it had belonged to someone very special to him but was sadly murdered.

Umbrage knew anyone who sent this to him didn't do it to give him a little closure.

"But...this is...How did you get it?" Umbrage stuttered.

" We have Sky to thank for this," Reden said to Umbrage.

"But...he disappeared a long time ago..."Umbrage said still staring at the pendant.

"He crossed paths with us, he requested us to deliver his pendant to you." Starlin explained.

It was unbearable for Umbrage to look at this pendant.

Umbrage knew it wasn't just a gift, it held a message. But how could he tell him that? Maybe it was because he felt the same way. Umbrage closed his eyes a held it close to his chest. He sighed.

" Alright, I will move on, I won't fall into hatred and rage once more my friend...Zarl."


End file.
